Congress's role in defining and promoting equality of educational opportunity has evolved over the past 55 years since "Brown v. Board of Education." Most recently, all three branches of the federal government have focused more on equality of educational opportunity for "individual" students rather than for protected classes.…

Goals 2000 was developed in the face of a barrage of criticism of the public schools by people with the best of intentions and with great hopes for the future of American education. The effects of the Goals 2000: Educate America Act cannot match its supporters' intentions and its implementation threatens to escalate conflict over schooling. Goals…

This Congressional report discusses recent accomplishments and continuing issues in the federal role in helping states and localities improve K-12 education. The panel that prepared the report consisted of state and local educators, researchers, and other citizens committed to education. The document focuses on the implementation of major federal…

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)

Goals 2000: Educate America Act (P.L. 103-227) authorizes a range of initiatives for federal support of education reform. Its basic strategy is that of systemic reform guided by sets of agreed-upon educational goals and standards at each level of governance. An overview and analysis of the Act's basic provisions and authorizations is provided.…

The House Subcommittee met to consider the progress that had been made toward the implementation of the restructuring of the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) and the fulfillment of its original mission, the equalization of educational opportunities for disadvantaged children. A report on implementation efforts was presented by…

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…

By redefining the relationship of national, state, and local government units, Goals 2000 counteracts the tradition of local school control. The act seeks to get states and local education agencies to reform schools voluntarily by meeting eight national goals by 2000. This article reviews the goals, application process, available information and…

Outlines the purpose and principles of the Goals 2000: Educate America Act signed into law in April 1994. The Goals 2000 legislation will establish world-class academic and occupational skill standards; position the federal government in a more cooperative and less dictatorial role regarding state and local authorities; and establish a framework…

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…

In this report, the Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources--to which Senate Bill 1513 was referred--recommends that the bill pass as amended, thereby clearing the way for reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 legislation, including Title 1. Title 1 funds have been a major factor in providing locally operated…

The article explains briefly the provisions of Goals 2000, emphasizing its support of ongoing educational change at the state and local levels and state flexibility to develop diverse approaches to reform. To illustrate this flexibility, the article describes reform activities in Vermont, Delaware, and Oregon, and explains how these states are…

The National Education Standards and Improvement Council (NESIC) was established in the Goals 2000: Educate America Act. One of NESIC's duties is to identify areas in which specific educational standards ought to be developed. Several complex issues arise in carrying out this duty, such as: the need for standards in such non-content areas as…