The State Education Standard
Vol. 1, No. 4
Fall 2000

Feature Articles:
Failure Is Not an Option
by Jim Bogden and Susanna Purnell
NASBE's Study Group on Alternatives to Retention and Social Promotion points the way to the next stage of education reform.
 
Ending Social Promotion in Chicago
by Melissa Roderick, John Q. Easton, Jenny Nagaoka, and Jen Bacon
The Consortium on Chicago School Research updates its ongoing study on the results of the district's landmark policy to stop social promotion.
 
An Early Start
by Jim Bogden
Recommendations for policymakers who want to reduce both retention and social promotion by helping all young children get ready to start school.
 
Mixing Sticks and Carrots in a Comprehensive Approach to Reform
by James F. Causby
A local superintendent explains his school system's student accountability plan, a district-wide effort to raise achievement levels while ensuring that no students are left behind.
 
It's Never Too Late to Help Older Students
by James M. McPartland and Will J. Jordan
The authors explain how a restructured high school can give older students who have fallen behind the extra help and targeted education they need to meet high expectations for learning.
 
Departments:
Editor's Note
Executive Summary
by NASBE Executive Director Brenda Welburn
Policy Pulse
A summary of recent state education actions
Washington Notebook
Surveying the federal education scene
State Innovations
State responses to the need for student remediation
Judicial Review
by Christopher R. Yukins
Steering through the Legal Shoals: Social Promotion, Standards-Based Testing, and Educational Malpractice
The Policy Wonk
by Virginia Roach
The art of state education policymaking