Some schools are missing their "No Child Left Behind" targets. Still, for all their whining and complaining about how unfair it is to have high expectations for a bunch of dumb kids, on average Virginia's schools are improving dramatically.

Overall, performance across the state improved, as 80 percent of the 1,821 public schools met the benchmark -- an increase over last year's 74 percent pass rate. For the first time since the No Child Left Behind law was enacted, Virginia as a state met federal standards.