Though many attempts at reform have been made since the 1983 report “A Nation at Risk” revealed the dire state of American education, student performance has made little progress. While many initiatives have failed, several free market reforms have succeeded, says Casey Given of the Americans for Prosperity Foundation.

Despite failures of the federal NCLB mandate initiated under President Bush, President Obama has continued to push for standards-based reform initiatives like Race to the Top and NCLB waivers, both of which require states to improve their educational standards to receive funds or leniency.

Given the failures of standards-based mandates like NCLB and the more recent Common Core initiative, Given suggests that more free market based reforms with proven track records should be emphasized.

States must stand up to Washington’s one-size-fits-all failures like NCLB and begin implementing reforms that have already achieved considerable success.