State policies and state role in curriculum

Abstract

Many of the education policy initiatives of state legislatures and state boards of education in the 1980s were aimed at improving the quality of elementary and secondary education through upgrading state standards. Researchers are analyzing the effects of the reforms on education in elementary and secondary schools. Many states have expanded their systems for assessing, monitoring, and reporting on schools, teachers, and students. Using data collected from state departments of education, this chapter presents findings from a 50-state comparative analysis of state education policy reforms and curriculum in mathematics and science. Two issues are analyzed: the effects of state policy reforms on curriculum in math and science education, and the strengths and limitations of currently available 50-state indicators of curriculum in math and science. State-by-state data are analyzed on secondary course enrollment in science and mathematics and on the relationship of state curriculum frameworks and statewide assessments of student learning.