How Many Decades Before 'Reform' Becomes 'Status Quo'?

By Kevin G. Welner

Pause for a moment and warily inhale the decaying fragrance of well-aged change.

The nation’s established school reformers have been on the ascendency for decades, and the so-called “change” they offer is simply more of the same. Consider this brief recap of school reform over the past three decades, focused in particular on privatization and choice, as well as standards-based testing and accountability.

Reform in the 1980s: “A Nation at Risk” ; site-based management; basic-skills testing; graduation exams; and the...