Digging Deeper: Where Does the Public Stand on Standards-based Education?

Product Description	Issues brief detailing the results of focus group research regarding public opinion on standards-based education and support for low-performing schools.
Authors	Bryan Goodwin
Target Audience	Policymakers, administrators, community organizers
Ways to Use this Product	As a guide for decision making about school reform and improvement and a catalyst for engaging the public in dialogue about school reform
Key Ideas	NCLB was passed in response to the sense that there was a broad public mandate to address education issues. What we heard in our focus groups confirms that people are, indeed, concerned about education issues and generally support the kinds of standards, testing, and accountability provisions embodied in NCLB. However, what we heard also suggests that people have a host of other concerns that standards-based reforms do not address. In short, the public appears to have an entirely different agenda for school reform than most educators and policymakers.
How to Get this Product	Download the PDF file.
APA Citation	Goodwin, B. (2003). Digging deeper: Where does the public stand on standards-based education? [Issues brief]. Aurora, CO: Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning.