In a major address on educational policy last March, President Barack Obama underscored his priorities for the pending reauthorization of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. He promised that the government will spur a race to the top by encouraging better standards and assessments. But Obama's concerns over rigor and the promise of the Common Core State Standards come against a backdrop of sobering data questioning whether earlier efforts to increase rigor have made a difference. In June, the City University of New York released information that more than half of the students from 46 of the 70 high schools that had received an "A" rating on the city's latest progress report needed remedial courses when they attended CUNY. In Danbury High School, former principal Robert Rossi said there has been a complete redesign of their 17 core courses and has launched the Freshman Academy for the 700 incoming ninth-graders last fall. He reported that the academy's first year made a positive difference for at-risk students, despite Danbury High's new course requirements. Meanwhile, Superintendent Jerry Weast of the Montgomery County Public School District pursued a larger-scale and long-running overhaul and saw an impressive results. Other districts nationwide have tapped outside organizations for expertise and training to improve results.