This paper discusses trends in British and U.S. school reform and compares government support of education by the "loyal opposition" of both countries. Between 1980 and 1995, school reform policies in the United States generally enjoyed broad, bipartisan support. The same, however, cannot be said in Britain where ideological differences…

Lessons learned from school reform are the foundation for Goals 2000: Educate America Act. It offers the framework and support for states and communities to reach goals designed to help schools create and achieve their own vision of what they want for their children. The U. S. Department of Education wants to be a partner in the efforts to bring…

Discusses the U.S. Department of Education's role as "America's best teacher," with the responsibility to provide national leadership and expertise on educational issues. Suggests that the department must support national education initiatives, such as the Goals 2000: Educate America Act, at the state and local level to help teachers,…

The passage of Goals 2000 represents a victory for advocates of a stronger federal role in improving schools. The article explores the principal elements of Goals 2000, the origins of the "new federalism," the education legislative record of the Clinton administration, and what further efforts are necessary to meet the needs of American…

The United States Secretary of Education explains how the Goals 2000 Act provides a framework for encouraging systemic education reform under the leadership of state and local education agencies. Discusses the nature of the federal government's role in education, its constitutional origins, and its development and expansion. (295 references) (MLF)

Constant attention by all Americans is needed to preserve what little local control in education remains. Chief among dangerous federal legislation moving the country toward a federal education system is the Goals 2000: Educate America Act. The paper examines Goals 2000 and other federal legislation that seeks to remove parental control, noting…

Goals 2000 defines the federal role as one of support and facilitation to improve all schools for all children while maintaining state and local control. The article discusses Goals 2000, looking at the beginning, the legislation, the national agenda, the state and local agenda, its passage into law, budgetary constraints, and the future. (SM)

According to Richard W. Riley, Secretary of Education, the federal government can be a partner to states and communities in improving education. Outlines the Goals 2000 plan to provide schools with greater flexibility in exchange for greater accountability for results. Federal priorities are to provide additional resources to high-poverty…

Discusses the importance of parent and family involvement in education, as outlined by the Goals 2000: Educate America Act of 1994, which introduced a new national education objective calling for increased family and parent participation. Examines techniques and initiatives used by teachers and schools to foster parent and family involvement. (MDM)

Maintains that the release of the National Geography Standards in October 1994 was not a culmination of reform but the beginning of educational improvement in geography. Discusses geographic concepts and the continued role of educational technology in geographic instruction. (CFR)

This policy paper, by a former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education for Policy and Planning, argues that President Clinton and the previous "education Congress" designed a top-down strategy reminiscent of the Great Society programs in the 1960s to reform America's school systems. The resultant educational legislation has occurred at a…

Includes "On the Common Core of Learning" (Kennedy); "Constitutional Implications of National Curriculum Standards" (Arons); "Arguments against National Performance Standards" (Fulk, Mantzicopoulos, Hirth); and "The Painful Lessons of Introducing the National Curriculum in England" (Foster). (SK)

Examines opportunity-to-learn (OTL) standards, which define conditions that schools, districts, and states must meet to ensure students an equal education. Offers an explanation of the states' historical inability to influence equal education, and proposes principles for designing new state policies. Includes recommendations to the states for…

This paper argues that education in the United States will be increasingly intertwined with and impacted by federal expectations, requirements, and standards. The paper describes the impacts and effects of national goals and national assessment on K-12 and higher education. A review of state and federal responses to "A Nation at Risk"…

Understanding the education agendas being promoted by state and federal politicians is critical in comprehending the factors affecting rural education. Equally important is developing an effective rural school improvement strategy that is viewed favorably by policymakers. Five areas represent the focal points of state and federal education…