- Codifies seven national education goals, including a new one on teacher education and professional development. Adds “civics and government’’ to goal 3.
- Establishes a 20-member National Education Standards and Improvement Council to establish content and performance standards that would serve as guidelines for state efforts, and to certify state standards.
- State standards would include the following: curricula; teacher competence; professional development; alignment of curriculum and assessments with content standards; and safety, learning environment, school conditions, and resources.
- Establishes an 18-member bipartisan Goals Panel to oversee the standards-setting effort.
- Authorizes $393 million for state grants to spur systemic reforms.
- Establishes a 28-member National Skills Standards Board to encourage the development and adoption of voluntary national skills standards, methods to assess them, and a system of certification.