NCJ Number
160064
Date Published
1996
Length
77 pages
Annotation
This packet profiles the characteristics and implementation of the Federal program Goals 2000, an effort to increase student achievement through State and local initiatives.
Abstract
The packet includes a pamphlet that outlines the characteristics of Goals 2000, a booklet that includes 10 elements for building a local action plan under Goals 2000, and a paper that details the features of Goals 2000. On March 31, 1994, President Clinton signed into law the Goals 2000 Act, which is designed to improve student learning. The act sets as national priorities education improvement and participation through local and State ingenuity, rather than through Federal control. At the heart of the Goals 2000 act is a grant program designed to help States and communities develop and implement their own educational reforms that focus on raising student achievement. States that participate in Goals 2000 are asked to raise expectations for students by setting challenging academic standards. Each State is to develop comprehensive strategies for helping all students reach those standards. This is to be done through such measures as upgrading assessments and curriculum to reflect the standards; improving the quality of teaching; expanding the use of technology; strengthening accountability for teaching and learning; promoting more flexibility and choice within the public school system; and building strong partnerships among schools and families, employers, and others in the community. Each State is asked to develop its improvement strategies with broad-based grassroots involvement. States that participate in Goals 2000 receive seed money to help launch and sustain their ongoing educational reform efforts. States are also given unprecedented flexibility through Goals 2000. The 10 elements for building a local action plan address standard and assessment for teaching and learning; program improvement and accountability; the use of technology; governance, management, and accountability; parent and community support and involvement; making improvements systemwide; the promotion of grassroots efforts; dropout prevention strategies; coordination with school-to-work programs; and milestones and timelines. Appended elements of the State Goals 2000 Action Plan, models and projects, and national education goals and objectives