The movement to develop national standards in education stems from the nation's continuing effort to identify the outcomes sought in schooling. The sources of the impetus for standards are disappointment with U.S. performance in international assessments, the participation of public leaders and educators in school reform, and the example created by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), which has successfully developed voluntary national standards over the past several years. Each of these sources points to the fact that a growing number of people recognize that good national standards can: (1) create a coherent system; (2) promote purposeful and constructive change; (3) establish clear goals for learning; and (4) raise the overall quality of education. The purposes of standard setting are to promote equality of educational opportunity and to raise the academic achievement of all children. A critical first step is the creation of a national consensus about what students need to know and be able to do. Implementation will follow. If the NCTM standards serve as a model, expectations for national standards can be met. National standards need not equal standardization, but they should represent clear goals. Educational policy and educational research are both required to develop and implement national standards. (SLD)