Educational reformers are divided among high-standards Martians, back-to-basics Venusians, character educationists, and free-market trade experts. Meanwhile, no one discusses how to motivate bored, disrespectful students. The solution involves working to establish high academic standards without blame or standardization, to develop "merit…

The impact of Georgia's recent imposition of subject-oriented admission requirements on the University of Georgia starting in 1988 is discussed, and the standards are applied to a sample of 100 current students in both strict and liberal interpretations to determine the degree of current compliance or deficiencies. (MSE)

Introduces a symposium on British school reform under the 1988 Education Reform Act. In England and the United States, school reform is driven by "conservative restoration" forces that emerged in Western democracies about 15 years ago. English reforms embody a relentless program of government initiatives inspired by free-market doctrines…

This paper examines the potential influences of school reform policies on the high school dropout rate, and it summaries a diverse set of reports on American education that recommend increasing academic standards in schools as a means for improving secondary school performance. (Author/LMO)

A series of focus group studies conducted by the Public Agenda Foundation explored public reactions to educational standards in 1993. This study revealed broad and spontaneous support for the idea that higher expectations will produce higher achievement. The strong endorsement of higher standards was also a manifestation of the public's concern…