Educational Reform

There has never been a time when the expectation has been greater on what education is supposed to do. The politicians at the Federal and State level have attempted to reform education with heightened curricula standards and more stringent accountability mechanisms. Here is a partial list of Reforms in Education passed on a state and federal level in the past 10 years. At a local level, school districts are struggling to implement the reform direction of the day. This opinion piece believes there are "too many cooks attempting to make the education soup" in California.

Federal Level

In 1983, a study Nation at Risk was issued about the condition of public education.

Here is a national progress report on issues related to assessment: : Standards-Based Reform in America's Schools: Progress and Prospects

Another study to measure the public's support of standards based reform and what they really want beyond accountability. Digging Deeper: Where Does the Public Stand on Standards-based Education?

Here is a press release from the Department of Education on States Decide Major Provisions of NCLB .

Here is a press release from the The Teaching Commission on Teaching at Risk.

Here is a summary webpage by the Civil Rights Project of Harvard University. There are four reports on No Child Left Behind implementation. Inspiring Vision, Disappointing Results.

The federal government can even dictate curriculum with the passage of legislation that requires opinion of the Governor's appointment and their impact the educational reforms in California.

Here is the Legislative Analysts Office review of charter schools in California.

Local Level

What happens when the forces of reform meet a State and local funding disaster? Read this teacher's account of small school reform in the troubled Oakland school distict.

Public Policy

Frequently Asked Questions regarding Charter Schools and Vouchers

Vouchers and Public Policy: When Ideology Trumps Evidence

The Effect of Institutional Variations on Policy Outcomes: The Case of Charter Schools in the States

Here are Frequently Asked Questions regarding charter schools and vouchers.