After the Kentucky Supreme Court declared Kentucky's educational system unconstitutional, the state launched a unique, comprehensive restructuring effort. Top-down state education department reforms include development of world-class curriculum standards, a statewide authentic assessment system, and a school accountability system linking sanctions…

Since the U.S. has no strong centralized educational program, the drive for systemic change is proceeding more slowly and unsystematically than in Japan or France. Systemic reform strategies must emphasize building schools' capacity for self-renewal. Getting from uniformly high standards to diverse delivery systems is the challenge. Marshall…