This document contains two articles that develop an argument for how schools must change to meet the demands of democracy; they also present a focused agenda for action. In the first article, "Reframing the School Reform Agenda: Developing Capacity for School Transformation," Linda Darling-Hammond describes how two different paradigms of teaching…

This paper examines Kate Walsh's Abell Foundation report, which purports to prove there is no credible research supporting the use of teacher certification as a regulatory barrier to teaching and argues against reforms that would strengthen incentives to bring qualified teaches to inner city schools. This paper discusses inaccuracies in Walsh's…

This paper examines how urban school districts that have substantially improved student performance emphasize improvement of education guided by rigorous standards for teachers rather than high-stakes testing for students. States and districts that rely on test-based accountability emphasizing sanctions for students and teachers often produce…

Competing notions of education are reviewed. The progressivist notion is individualistic and aims at self-actualization, whereas the more conservative perspective emphasizes a mechanistic approach in which some students' full potential may not be realized. To accommodate student differences, curricula must be treated as useful guidelines to…

Discussion of educational reform at the K-12 level focuses on current pressures for high standards, the needs of the diverse student body, and testing as the measure of achievement. Suggests higher education's role is, first, to educate powerful teachers and, second, to collaborate in efforts to redesign educational forms and develop standards of…

Until recently there has been little conversation about the most important contribution academe can make to supporting learning. If universities would commit their considerable resources to better preparing the individuals who become elementary and secondary school teachers, they could transform the nation's educational system and stimulate higher…

Teacher educators and teachers must be leaders in developing learner-centered standards for preparing teachers. Standards can help teachers build their own knowledge and understanding of what helps students learn. As schools undergo restructuring, teachers will be responsible for students, not just subject-matter information; for understanding how…

Economic and demographic changes in the United States signal a new mission for education--one in which the schools are responsible for ensuring that all students learn. This paper argues that this changed mission requires a new paradigm for school reform policy, one that shifts from designing controls intended to direct the system to developing…

This report explains the growing evidence that investments in teacher knowledge are among the most productive means for increasing student learning. The creation of rigorous professional standards for teachers is one sign of progress in this area. However, new teaching standards will have little import for students, particularly the most…