"Results for money..." Bush defends NCLB

Desperately seeking a politician who, in this election year, will still openly defend NCLB on it's 10th anniversary? Look no further than Andrew Rotherham's (who else?) Time Magazine interview with Pres. G.W. Bush --the man who turned the Ownership Society into a  catch phrase. Bush responds to Rotherham's softball question this way:

First of all, I am extremely proud of the effects of No Child Left Behind. For the first time, the federal government basically demanded results in return for money. It started by saying, We expect you to measure [student performance]. As a result, there has been a noticeable change in achievement, particularly among minority groups. And I’m proud of that accomplishment and proud of the fact we were able to work with people from both parties to get it done.

Bush saves his greatest praise for, "people like [former school superintendents] Joel Klein and Michelle Rhee, people who are willing to challenge the status quo, tell you that one thing that made it effective was the accountability."