An analysis of the implementation of content standards in selected unified school districts of California

Standards-based education has been and continues to be the driving force behind public education in the United States as it relates to the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001. NCLB represents significant change in federal education policy based upon four basic principles: (1) increased accountability for states, school districts and schools; (2) expanded options for parents, particularly those with children attending low-performing schools; (3) increased flexibility for states and districts in the use of federal education dollars; and (4) emphasis on teaching methods that have been proven to work. Standards-based education and the requirements of NCLB has resulted in states, local school districts and their school to review and revise past practices related to student achievement.;The purpose of the study was to obtain data to determine district-wide efforts to implement and sustain standards-based reform in the areas of curriculum, instruction, and assessment at the district and the school level based upon perceptions of central office administrators. The collected data will provide a basis for evaluating standards-based reform and its effectiveness as perceived by district level office personnel in charge of implementing and sustaining standards-based education at the school level.