ABSTRACT
Rarely have students of education policy lived at a time more dynamic than the current one. Since the mid-1980s, state education policy has undergone signifi cant and far-reaching change. In K-12 education, states have established new curriculum and performance standards; adopted myriad new assessment and accountability regimes; pursued innovative teacher certifi cation initiatives; litigated hundreds of school fi nance suits; experimented with incentive programs for teacher performance and pay; and witnessed the rise and fall (and rise again) of a cacophony of systemic reform efforts.
