Forty years ago, the release of A Nation at Risk led to what we know today as the modern school reform movement. With its calls for increased academic rigor, more productive use of instructional time, more effective teaching, and more impactful leadership, A Nation at Risk set in motion policy and practice changes at every level of the education system. The last four decades of school reform can be divided into four eras:
1983–1989: The States Respond The states were the first to respond to the recommenda
tions of A Nation at Risk. It is estimated that states launched three thousand reform measures
in this era, including changes to graduation requirements, teacher certification and training,
and use of instructional time.
1989–2002: Standards and Systems Once it became clear that a series of marginal, discon
nected reforms were insufficient, more systemic approaches were attempted. States adopted
academic standards, expanded standardized testing, and began tracking school and student
performance. Charter schools and other choice options were launched in this era as well.
2002–2015: The NCLB Era With the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act, the federal
government took the lead role in education reform, requiring states to take a series of actions
related to standards, assessment, accountability, and school improvement. States and dis
tricts made some progress in this era, but some elements of the law proved unworkable.
2015–2023: ESSA and COVID-19 The Every Student Succeeds Act replaced No Child Left
Behind, moving some reform authority back to the states. School reform efforts were largely
halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which closed schools and had significant impacts on
schools and students.
As the nation’s schools face challenges in their recovery from COVID-19, there are lessons to be
learned from the past forty years of reform, which are explored in the essays in this collection.