A recent study by NYU and University of Virginia sociologists reveals that college may not be all it's hyped up to be. Among other distressing findings, the professors note that 45 percent of college students show no significant improvement in critical thinking skills after completing their sophomore year. The study also notes that:
 

… federally mandated fixes similar to "No Child Left Behind" in K-12 education would be "counterproductive," in part because researchers are still learning how to measure learning.

It's encouraging to see some researchers acknowledge that government is not as effective at fixing education as once believed.