ABSTRACT
Newspapers, journals, legislatures, and the media across the United States are publishing articles and voicing opinions about educational standards and their impact on schools and students. At the 1996 National Education Summit, 44 governors and 50 corporate CEOs joined together with a commitment to the following set of priorities fundamental to achieving excellence in the nation's system of K-12 education (Achieve 1998):
High academic standards and expectations for all students.
Tests that are more rigorous and more challenging, to measure whether students are meeting those standards.
Accountability systems that provide incentives and rewards for educators, students, and parents to work together to help students reach these standards.
