Examines controversies over national and state standard setting (Goals 2000, outcome-based education) involving conservative citizen groups. Makes recommendations for widening public participation in educational policy-making and aligning public engagement with standards-based reform. (SK)

A historic change is taking place in American education with the development of voluntary national standards that will identify what all students should know and be able to do in order to live and work in the twenty-first century. Content standards will define what students should know and be able to do, and performance standards will identify the…

Offers 10 academic criteria considered essential for states to adopt when establishing their educational standards. As an aid to standard setters, the article includes a list of titles from the "Defining World-Class Standards" series written by the American Federation of Teachers. Criteria categories are math, science, history and social…

The vision of the Goals 2000 program for educational improvement leads to the fundamental question of what we want students to know. School districts throughout the country are beginning to grapple with this question, and some national efforts have been made to help them. The National Council on Education Standards and Testing has recommended…

Each state has the opportunity to participate in Title III of the Goals 2000 Act. To participate, the state must have or develop a comprehensive strategy for improving education on the basis of clear and challenging standards. To assist the states, the Council of Chief State School Officers has prepared this report of baseline information for each…

This resource text was developed to assist parents, teachers, school administrators, school board personnel, and other concerned citizens in their efforts to develop and implement local education standards. Having drawn heavily upon Internet-accessible resources for the development and implementation of educational standards, the text is intended…