What’s Next?

Our Gains Have Been Substantial, Promising, But Not Enough

By Marshall S. Smith

In 1994, only a handful of states embraced standards-based reforms. Seven years later, Quality Counts 2001 reported: “The vast majority of states have been working diligently on policies related to standards-based changes. Almost all now have standards for what students should know in core subjects, tests to measure student learning, and at least the beginnings of an accountability system to hold schools responsible for results.” In the fall of 2001, Congress, in the No Child Left Behind Act, reaffirmed the basic structure of the state reforms, while simultaneously reducing state prerogatives, particularly in...