Teachers, principals, superintendents and school board members must be vigilant. The race is on to ready their schools for more rigorous standards that demand new kinds of teaching and computer-based testing. They have two years to complete the necessary professional development, upgrade and expand their technology infrastructure, and prepare…

Implementation of Common Core State Standards (CCSS), now adopted in a large majority of states, requires significant support. To realize the potential of these new college- and career-ready standards, states must focus significant attention on how to prepare educators for implementation. Key among the strategies is high-quality, sustained…

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) represent an unparalleled opportunity for students with disabilities. But this opportunity will be realized only if states, districts, and schools approach the implementation of these standards with forethought and careful planning, particularly for students with disabilities. The CCSS were developed for all…

Getting and keeping "all" young people engaged in learning and on track to graduate from high school ready for college and the 21st century workplace is going to require wider, deeper, and more systemic change. Recent policy focus on raising standards for high school graduation and aligning high school curriculum to college entrance requirements…

Discuss the "new" state politics of education focusing on the role of state governors and business groups in shaping educational policy driven by the standards-based reform movement. (PKP)

Evaluates the effectiveness of city and state takeovers of school districts to bring about school reform. Finds, for example, that city takeovers are linked to increases in student achievement in elementary schools and that when state takeovers produce administrative and political turmoil, student achievement suffers. (Contains 15 references.)…

Describes the expanded responsibility of state governments and local school districts to improve student academic achievement in elementary and secondary schools under the provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act, which expands the federal role in education. (PKP)

This issue focuses on how special education fits into standards-based reform and contains the following featured articles: (1) A New Vision for Special Education Accountability (Martha L. Thurlow and Jane L. Krentz) charts the change in special education accountability as it moves from the old focus on Individualized Education Program teams; (2)…

Nearly every state is engaged in standards-based reform, as seen by the development of statewide academic goals and guidelines in core subjects and the subsequent new state tests that will measure students' progress toward achieving these goals. A Study Group on Statewide Assessment Systems formed by the National Association of State Boards of…