The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) was signed into law in 2001, fueled by bipartisan concern about the standardized test scores of U.S. students in comparison with their international cohort and dissatisfaction with gaps in achievement between certain student groups--low income, English-language learners, special education, and students of…

The author enjoyed reading Katharine Hay's ambitious and humbling visions for evaluation field building in South Asia. She has successfully positioned herself on a high mountain with a wonderful set of binoculars that enable her to see the entire evaluation landscape of South Asia. She magically sees and describes significant historical forces and…

To many education reformers, the passage of the federal government's massive stimulus plan, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), appeared to be a final bright star falling into alignment. The ARRA seemed to complete the constellation: an astounding $100 billion of new federal funds--nearly twice the annual budget of the U.S.…

Twenty-five years after the seminal report "A Nation at Risk," American education remains in a state of crisis. Millions of students continue to pass through the public schools without mastering basic skills and knowledge. Policymakers and the public must recognize both this persistent failure and the attendant need for systemic reform…

The paper discusses report of The Spellings Commission for Future of Higher Education that was set up to look into the issues facing the higher education system in the U.S., outline the challenges and offer recommendations to tackle the problems. Most importantly, The Spellings Commission Report raised the issue of the role of federal government…

Recognizing the potential of accountability tests to alter classroom instruction, an overview is provided of the federal government's past influence on educational assessments. The past 50 years has witnessed the function of federally engendered educational assessments shift from monitoring the use of federal funds for programs prescribed for…

This paper contributes to the debate over how the federal government can best help state and local authorities improve student achievement by providing examples from other countries of innovations in the role of the national government. The authors believe that the degree to which foreign policy structures parallel those of the United States are…

Inside the Washington, D.C., beltway, the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) is seen as either a sea change in federal education policy or a half-measure designed to demonstrate the political leadership's willingness to "do something"on education. There is no genuine opposition in Washington to…

Summarizes the evolution of the monitoring system for higher education, including the roles of accrediting agencies, the federal government, and the state governments. Identifies key problems that must be resolved before new systems of quality control and consumer protection can be implemented. (SK)

Two articles discuss the Triad--state, federal, and accrediting agencies with oversight responsibilities for postsecondary institutions--and its concerns about alleged abuses of public funds. Suggestions for improvement are made. (JOW)

Four options for state standards are advising curriculum and instruction, measuring accountability, prescribing curriculum and instruction, and assessing construction of artifacts. The fourth option may be the best way to accommodate state influence while allowing teacher creativity and autonomy. (SK)

This chapter discusses the federal government's role in strengthening accountability for student performance under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). NCLB represents a major legislative expansion of the role of the federal government in elementary and secondary education, and it has had significant implications for federal-state…

Recognizes that the need for vocational education improvement was partially satisfied through legislative mandate. Suggests that states should be given more authority to determine how goals, objectives, and activities will be accomplished. (JOW)

Disagrees with John Chubb and Terry Moe's proposal to manage public education according to market principles. America's hope for education is in the hands of the people, through participatory, accountable, and representative governance, not in the vagaries and disorder of the economic marketplace. Public schools and the economic marketplace must…

Politicians, less interested in purity than in popularity, are generally wary of national standards. Yet a standards-based accountability system is the core component of NCLB, and in some ways it has made standards advocates victims of their own success. Now, many activists are agitating to cut back the role of Washington in education, and a…