Whether or not America arrives at the 22nd century in recognizable form hinges in great measure on the quality of public education.Presently, educational policy is being driven primarily by the Business Roundtable and the US Chamber of Commerce, working through Congress. They assume that "the system"-the curriculum adopted in 1892-is sound, from which it follows that poor performance must be the fault of teachers and students. Their cure? Tougher "standards and accountability."Wrong diagnosis. Wrong cure. The familiar 1892 curriculum grows more dysfunctional by the day, clinging to it is suicidal, and a national conference is essential.