This brief is part of a four-part series examining the past, present, and future of modern school accountability systems. With the dual forces of the COVID-19 pandemic and the national call to action on racial inequity, the question of how we should measure and hold schools accountable for the impact they have on students is more urgent than ever.…

The objective of the Goals 2000 Act to increase the high school graduation rate to at least 90% and to help reduce the graduation gap rate for minorities is doomed to failure. Models are presented that illustrate the theoretical limitations of policies aimed at this goal. (SLD)

No matter how well intentioned the Goals 2000: Educate America Act may be, it is doomed to failure. The theory of the logic and behavior of the educational system illustrates how powerful systemic forces converge to stabilize the high school attainment rate at about 75%, where it has been since 1965, and where no traditional national policy will…

This paper presents recommendations designed to ensure that limited-English-proficient (LEP) children are included in proposals embodied in "Goals 2000." These are as follows: persons knowledgeable about the education of LEP students should be included in national, state and local panels; all educational reform activities should address…