Key legislative objectives for the US Federal educational policy over the past several decades relied heavily on quasi-market strategies (such as school rating, school closure, the contracting out of schools) as central levers in "reforming" public schools. Using financial data on 11 national for-profit firms contracting with schools and…

Within America's school systems, sometime between kindergarten and secondary education, a wide variation appears among the achievement levels of different children. The learning gap between high-achieving high schoolers and dropouts is certainly no secret to educators. Huge sums of federal funds and foundation support have been injected into K-12…

Reviews the status of Goals 2000, and how proposed funding cuts may affect reform efforts. Pleads for arts educators to remind themselves and the public of what their work and education reform are about. (PA)

Relates an interview with the actor Tony Randall, 1995's Honorary Chairman for Theater in Our Schools Month. Chronicles his decision to act at 12 years of age, his acting studies, and his professional life to the present. Presents his opinions--for example, that the arts in schools are important, in accordance with the Goals 2000 Act. (PA)

Examines the testing culture and the assessment culture in the context of calls for large-scale, national tests and from an anthropological model. Depicts the roles, rules, and rituals of each culture. Suggests that the cultural roles, rules, and rituals for the 21st century demand a culture of assessment rather than a culture of testing. (RS)

Controversy surrounds the recently released voluntary national standards for U.S. history and world history. At the center of the debate is the issue of how history should be portrayed. Directions for ordering copies of the history standards and sample passages from the standards guidebooks are provided in sidebars to the article. (MLF)

Discusses the significance of the Goals 2000: Educate America Act for theater and other arts educators. Presents comments of several theater education teachers, leaders, and arts advocates regarding the enactment of Goals 2000. (RS)

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…

Draws on lessons learned from the Clinton Administration's efforts to implement 1994 federal legislation (Goals 2002 and Elementary and Secondary Education Act reauthorization) to inform state and federal officials' efforts to implement the No Child Left Behind Act. (PKP)

Presents an interview with the American Alliance for Theatre and Education's executive director Barbara Salisbury Wills. Discusses her interaction with the Goals 2000 Commission, development of the "National Standards for Arts Education," getting parents involved in theater education programs, working with state representatives, and…

This paper looks at the educational thought system that provides a contextual understanding of education, discusses what schools are for, and presents a vision for education. A review of educational literature reveals an ongoing search for a new educational paradigm and focuses on a transformed conception of teaching that shifts the focus from…

Asks whether standards in the arts are necessary. Presents the standards as set forth in the Goals 2000 Act, and provides some commentary on how to achieve them. States that educational reform, national standards, artists and educators working together, teacher education, and teaching leadership are necessary to make the standards work. (PA)

Speculates about how opportunity-to-learn (OTL) standards might be defined and used at federal and state levels and, in the process, to better understand why OTL standards have become so controversial. The author discusses OTL within the context of The Goals 2000: Educate America Act and how the standards might be used and what they should…

Senator Robert Dole comments on his amendment to Goals 2000 that would require a study of the act's impact on students with disabilities, the obligations of state and local authorities to rebuild schools, and school choice. Dole concludes with his belief that Congress has a responsibility to help fund the high costs of educating physically and…

In this excerpt from her new book, "National Standards in American Education: A Citizen's Guide," Diane Ravitch argues that there are steps local school boards, parents, and communities can take to implement educational reform and high academic standards. (MLF)