In 1983 the seminal report issued by the National Commission on Excellence in Education, "A Nation at Risk," charged that most American high schoolers were following a general course of instruction, choosing neither the college-preparatory track nor the vocational option. This pattern, the report complained, had fostered low expectations and a curricular hodge-podge of classes that failed to prepare students for college or work. The commission called on states to implement academic requirements for all students, regardless of background, including four years of English and three years each of science, mathematics, and social studies. Students should not be sorted by their presumed future destinations, the commission reasoned, but should be offered an equal opportunity to get a high-quality education to fit them either for postsecondary education or the modern workplace. Two decades after the commission called on states to reform the high school environment and raise graduation requirements, the Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution convened a a group of prominent scholars to explore the current state of America's high schools, focusing on new research about reforming these institutions that are so important in the lives of the nation's adolescents. The questions considered reflected the diversity of the participants and covered a variety of areas—historical, international, sociological, and practical. Data gathered by the U.S. Department of Education show students today are taking many more advanced courses in mathematics and the sciences, while at the same time test scores do not reflect the increases in enrollments in academic courses. In addition, large score gaps remain among students from different social groups. Reform of the high schools must take into account the elementary and middle schools that prepare students and the postsecondary institutions to which students aspire. Adolescent culture and students' views about school and academic work play important roles in student achievement, as do the family and contemporary society in shaping of adolescent behavior. No matter their background, all participants agreed that the key to a successful high school rests with the extent to which it recognizes and strengthens its commitment to the intellectual growth of its students.

Published annually, Brookings Papers on Education Policy (BPEP) analyzes policies intended to improve student performance. In each volume, some of the best-informed analysts in various disciplines review the current situation in education and consider programs for reform. In this fifth annual issue of the series, prominent educators and other social scientists discuss accountability and its consequences for students. Contents include: ¡°Grade Retention and Social Promotion in Texas, 1994-99¡± A. Gary Dworkin, Jon Lorence, Laurence Toenjes, and Antwanette Hill (University of Houston) ¡°Reform, Resistance... Retreat? The Predictable Policies of Accountability in Virginia¡± Frederick Hess (University of Virginia) ¡°School Accountability in California: An Early Evaluation¡± Julian Betts (UC San Diego and Public Policy Institute of California) and Anne Danenberg (Public Policy Institute of California) ¡°Standards and Accountability in Washington State¡± (Paul Hill and Robin Lake (University of Washington) ¡°Volatility in School Test Scores: Implications for Test-Based Accountability Systems¡± Tom Kane (Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University) and Douglas O Staiger (Dartmouth College) ¡°Building a High-Quality Assessment Program: The Philadelphia Example¡± Andy Porter (Wisconsin Center for Education and Research) and Mitchell Chester (Philadelphia School System) ¡°Accountability in Chicago¡± Alfred Hess (Northwestern University)

In this third annual issue of the series, prominent economists, educators, and other social scientists analyze the importance of standards in education and review some of the major controversies that have arisen in the past decade on the problems of shaping and implementing standards. Edited by Diane Ravitch, one of the nation's foremost education authorities, Brookings Papers on Education Policy is an indispensable guide to understanding education trends and emerging issues. The year 2000 issue is scheduled to include essays by Gary Chapman of the University of Texas, George Farkas and L. Shane Hall of the University of Texas at Dallas, Paul Hill of the University of Washington, Christine Rossell of Boston University, Robert Schwartz and Marian Robinson of ACHIEVE and Harvard Graduate School of Education, Larry Sherman of the University of Maryland, and Maris Vinovskis of the University of Michigan.

Published annually, Brookings Papers on Education Policy (BPEP) analyzes policies intended to improve student performance. In each volume, some of the best-informed analysts in various disciplines review the current situation in education and consider programs for reform. In this fourth annual issue of the series, prominent educators and other social scientists discuss standards in education. Contents include: "Incentives and Equity under Standards-Based Reform" Julian R. Betts and Robert M. Costrell "Why Business Backs Education Standards" Milton Goldberg and Susan Traiman "State Academic Standards" Chester Finn Jr. and Marci Kanstoroom "Searching for Indirect Evidence for the Effects of Statewide Reforms" David Grissmer and Ann Flanagan "The Controversy over the National Assessment Governing Board Standards" Mark Reckase "The Role of End-of-Course Exams and Minimum Competency Exams in Standards-Based Reforms" John H. Bishop, Ferran Mane, Michael Bishop, and Joan Moriarty "A Diagnostic Analysis of Black-White GPA Disparities in Shaker Heights, Ohio" Ronald F. Ferguson

Contains papers presented at a conference on education policy convened by the Brookings Institution.

Contents include: •Test-Based Accountability: The Promise and the Perils Tom Loveless (Brookings) • Can the Federal Government Improve Education Research? Brian Jacob (Harvard University) and Jens Ludwig (Georgetown University ) •Realizing the Promise of Brand-Name Schools Steven F.Wilson (Harvard University) • School Choice: How an Abstract Idea Became a Political Reality Joseph P. Viteritti (Hunter College, CUNY) • Education Reform and Content: The Long View E.D. Hirsch Jr. (Core Knowledge Foundation) • Evidence-Based Reading Policy in the United States: How Scientific Research Informs Instructional Practices Reid Lyon and Vinita Chhabra (National Institutes of Health) and Sally E. Shaywitz and Bennett A. Shaywitz (Yale University)

This second annual issue of the series focuses on the state of urban education in America. It provides in-depth, jargon-free analysis of the most important issues in education today—from some of the country's leading experts. Edited by Diane Ravitch, one of the nation's foremost education authorities, Brookings Papers on Education Policy is an indispensable guide to understanding education trends and emerging issues. Contents include: "History of Urban Education in this Century" by Jeffrey Mirel, Emory University "School Reform in Chicago" by Anthony Bryk, University of Chicago "Lessons from Houston" by Donald McAdams, Houston Independent School Board "Problems of Managing a Big-City School System" by Stanley Litow, IBM Corporation "Single-Sex Schooling: Law, Policy, and Research" by Rosemary C. Salomone, St. John's University School of Law "How Litigation Has Undermined Schools" by Abigail Thernstrom, Manhattan Institute/Massachusetts Board of Education "Creating Successful Urban Schools" by James Comer, Yale Child Study Center "Voucher Experiments" by Paul Peterson, Harvard University "Proposed Reforms of Governance" by Paul Hill, University of Washington