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 field of dance arts education in the United States is in an entirely different place today than it was at the turn of the century. Much of this change is due to a convergence of events that involved: federal and state legislation, policy, and funding that supported dance in arts education; a forty-year transition of dance out of departments of…

The Board on Testing and Assessment of the National Research Council convened a workshop in 1994 to help policymakers and others better understand the complex issues emerging from the standards-based educational reform movement. This bulletin synthesizes the workshop discussions. It is organized around four major themes that emerged from the…

Begins with a look at the year's major education news: implications of the massacre at Columbine High School, major Supreme Court decisions, and pro- and anti-voucher political rhetoric. Following is an analysis of how the nation is doing on the Goals 2000. Other sections take the pulse of public education and analyze the challenges faced by…

The "Goals 2000: Educate America Act" emphasizes including all students in education reform considerations and expects all students to achieve world-class educational standards and learn challenging content to a high level of performance. The Act also establishes voluntary opportunity-to-learn (OTL) standards. OTL standards are defined…

This pamphlet describes the bases of the educational outcomes and indicators for students (including students with disabilities) developed by the National Center on Educational Outcomes. The importance of developing an outcomes and indicators model with a rationale, wording, and appearance that support a philosophy in which educational outcomes…

Argues that, no matter how good and well-intentioned new curriculum and assessment reforms are, they will fail unless there are real-world consequences that motivate students to work hard in school. Educational systems fail because what students want, i.e., college admissions, jobs, and job training, are disconnected from school work. (GLR)

This report provides updated information on major national activities related to the development and assessment of educational outcomes of students with disabilities who are receiving special education services. The report reviews major initiatives in the areas of the national education goals (Goals 2000), standards, and national testing. The…

This paper provides an analysis of inclusion as it relates to national goals, national standards, and national tests for students with disabilities. Concerning the six national education goals specified in Goals 2000, the paper finds that the primary data collection programs used to document progress toward the goals exclude 40 to 50 percent of…

This paper argues that education in the United States will be increasingly intertwined with and impacted by federal expectations, requirements, and standards. The paper describes the impacts and effects of national goals and national assessment on K-12 and higher education. A review of state and federal responses to "A Nation at Risk"…

In this book, the Committee on Goals 2000 and the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities addresses standards-based reform and the education of students with disabilities, and presents recommendations to states and communities that seek to make these reforms consistent with current policies and practice in special education. The first chapter…