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What is most in~portant to restructure. . . are the relationships among teachers and the
organizational conditions thal suppo1-1 discourse and strong community" (p. 8 1). These
exchanges, these supporting networks, must take place not only within schools but across
schools and school districts.
The support for more challenging tests exists everywhere, and nrhile administrators
\,iew them as supportiile of good instruction, these views also "coexist with criticisms of the
tests" (Massell. 2001. p. 160). Care must be taken to insure that new accountability systems
are n.ell-supported from the point of view of human development as well as well-designed
with fair, con~prehensible, meaningful and stable features that encourage sustained capacity-
building (Fuhrman. 1999).
S tandards-based Reform
The standards mo\.ement is arguably the major force in education today. and the
significance of the standards movement could be huge. Historians may identify the last
clccailc of' tlie 20'" ccnlury as thc time when a concenrrated push for educational standards
c~~iic~~;cJ I (;I;Iws k Linn. 19993 1. The promise of the standards movement is continsent on
clcal- and co~~i~iionl!. defined _roals. The core assumption embedded in this approach to reform
is that in~lii iilual ;~nd collecti\.c sner-sic?; are unleashed throuzh a n.ell-aniculated focus
;~c~c~o~lip;~riicd 13). CIII.I.~~.~I~;II- ;IIICI as\tssrnent alignment. .A common focus. it is argued.
;~cc.clc'~.;ilc> c~r~rli~iii~nic.;~tio~i. cl;rl-ifies undcrst;incliri~. and promotes ;l sh;lred P U ~ ~ O W
c ~ l i l t I . I ) i t
I 1111ierit ; I
I .
Ro,enholtz ( 1991 I bt.lie\.es that
. .
lliC 11;1111i1;11.k 01' ;in\. \LIC,CC~~~.LII ors;llli~;ltic~l~ is 3 ,h;ll.c~i \C\II\C' ;lniong 11s members ~lbout \\.h~tt
~llc'\. ;II.L- II.!.~I~? 10 ;~c~~-orllpli\ll, ..\sr~c'd-llp(?~i ;oal\ and \\.;I!.s
attin theln enhance the
o1~;;11li/;1[io~l'\ e~;ll~;le~;[\~ 1.0~. l.;l~;ol~;ll l ~ ~ ; ~ l l;11lLi l l ~ ;~~tioli"
l ~ ~ (13. 1 .:). 111 c(~11tr;lst 1111~ \'i~\\'. ~1