ABSTRACT
The 1990s, however, have seen a new agenda developing, one stimulated by the federal government, whose central themes are accountability and efficiency. Fueled by high levels of immigration and social and economic policies designed to benefit the most economically advantaged, the proportion of the nation’s students who are poor, minority, and limited English proficient (LEP) has increased dramatically in recent years. The first wave of educational reform initiatives can be roughly divided into three large groups: student-oriented reforms, teacher-oriented reforms, and reforms in governance and administration. All of the reports already mentioned also touch on topics of teacher standards and rewards. A common theme is inadequate teacher preparation. The teacher preparation issue is attacked on two fronts by the bulk of the reports: pre-service training, and increased testing for teacher certification. The evidence is mounting in favor of these critics of the reform movement.
