A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

United States Department of Education
Misconceptions About the GOALS 2000:
Educate America Act


The passage of theGOALS 2000: Educate America Actin March of 1994 heralded a new role for the federal government in its support for education. No longer would the federal role focus only on narrow categorical programs. Now, it would also promote a comprehensive approach to help all students succeed academically. This new focus on achievement grew out of a bipartisan recognition that too many U.S. students were not achieving at the levels necessary for them to succeed in the modern economy.

As the federal government carries out this new role of flexible support for state and local school improvement efforts, some misconceptions have arisen about GOALS 2000. The 1996 Appropriations Act amended Goals 2000 to clarify some of the misinformation about Goals 2000. The following outlines some of the misconceptions, and addresses the concerns that have been raised.
Concern:

 GOALS 2000 will lead to a federal government takeover of local education.
Reality:

 Section 318 of the GOALS 2000: Educate America Act makes it absolutely clear that there are no mandates, and there will be no federal takeover: "Nothing in this Act shall be construed to authorize an officer or employee of the Federal Government to mandate, direct, or control a State, local educational agency, or school's curriculum, program of instruction, or allocation of State or local resources or mandate a State or any subdivision thereof to spend any funds or incur any costs not paid for under this Act." Section 319 of the Act again clarifies that Congress "reaffirms that the responsibility for control of education is reserved to the States and local school systems."

The goal of the GOALS 2000: Educate America Act is to encourage local community-based actions that meet pressing educational needs, help more students achieve to higher standards, increase parental participation, and improve teaching. GOALS 2000 provides federal support for local and state reforms. The Act provides great flexibility in how states and communities develop and implement their reform plans.

There are specific statements throughout the GOALS 2000 Act that nothing in the Act will reduce, modify, or undercut state and local responsibility for control of education. In addition, participation in GOALS 2000 is completely voluntary.
Concern:

 Our schools will henceforth be pushed toward a philosophy known as Outcome-Based Education (OBE).
Reality:

 The legislation does not promote any particular education philosophy or approach; that is a local decision. GOALS 2000 focuses on upgradingacademicachievement and preparing students for the world of work. Each state, school district, and school determines what content it wants students to learn, and whether or not that content should focus strictly on core academic and basic skills. The federal government will not be involved in those kinds of local decisions.

In addition, an amendment to Goals 2000 in the 1996 Appropriations Act mandates that the federal government cannot, as a condition of receiving Goals 2000 assistance, require a state, local education agency, or a school, to provide Outcome-Based education.
Concern:

 GOALS 2000 creates the National Education Standards and Improvement Council (NESIC), which will act as a "national school board" and control what is taught in the classroom.
Reality:

 NESIC was eliminated upon passage of the 1996 Appropriation Act.

NESIC was initially recommended in 1992 by a bipartisan group, authorized by Congress and appointed by Secretary Lamar Alexander, and co-chaired by Governor Carroll Campbell (R-SC) and Governor Roy Romer (D-CO). The council included, among others, Representative Goodling, Senator Hatch, Lynne Cheney, and Chester Finn.

The purpose of the council was to provide an independent review of the quality of model national and state academic standards being developed by states and professional organizations in each discipline. These standards would have been submitted voluntarily. There was no requirement that a state receive certification as a condition of participating in any federal education program, such as Chapter 1, Drug-Free Schools, vocational education, or GOALS 2000.
Concern:

 GOALS 2000 requires the use of National Standards, such as the recently released national history standards.
Reality:

 Under GOALS 2000, states and school districts determinetheir ownacademic standards that outline what they want their children to learn. If they choose, states and communities can use voluntary national standards developed by professional organizations as models to design their own challenging standards. Several states are adopting parts of the model national standards while others are developing their own standards. The use of national standards is voluntary. No funds are tied to the use of these standards, or of any subset of these standards. No law or regulation requires their use in any way.

Although the initial release of the history standards evoked a great deal of controversy, the standards have since been revised, and efforts to develop voluntary national standards in other content areas--coordinated by such groups as the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the Center for Civic Education, and the National Geographic Society--have been well received. Drafts of these standards have been reviewed by hundreds of teachers and other concerned citizens. The standards represent what teachers and scholars believe students should know in subject areas such as math, geography, civics, and the arts at certain points in their education. The much acclaimed math standards, released in 1989, are being used in classrooms across the nation.
Concern:

 GOALS 2000 will encourage the proliferation of school- based health clinics, and move schools away from the fundamental duty of education and into the provision of reproductive services.
Reality:

 The focus of the GOALS 2000: Educate America Act is improving student achievement, and promoting greater parental participation in education. GOALS 2000 does not change the fact that decisions regarding school- based health clinics and the distribution of contraceptives remain a state and local responsibility. In addition, section 1018 of the Act requires that states and local communities who choose to use federal funds for health programs must develop procedures to encourage family participation in such programs. The 1996 Appropriations Act also included an amendment that expressly states that Goals 2000 may not be construed to require a state, local education agency, or a school, as a condition of receiving Goals 2000 assistance, to provide school based health clinics or social services.
Concern:

 GOALS 2000 is another burdensome federal program with a multitude of rules and regulations.
Reality:

 GOALS 2000 is a "responsible block grant." It sets broad objectives and goals, but allows the states to determine the means to reach them. The Department of Education has not, and will not, issue any regulations for GOALS 2000. The Department of Education has designed a streamlined application procedure for states that cuts paperwork considerably. The initial application for states to request GOALS 2000 money was only 4 pages long, asks only for information required by law to award funds, and eliminates numerous forms.
Concern:

 GOALS 2000 promotes opportunity-to-learn standards that focus on inputs rather than on standards for student achievement.
Reality:

 GOALS 2000 reflects an unwavering commitment to results. Developing and implementing challenging standards for what students should know and be able to do in key subject areas, and effectively measuring student performance against these standards, are cornerstones of the bill. States and school districts- -not the federal government--will define and monitor these standards. The federal government will not be involved in monitoring individual schools or teachers.

In addition, the 1996 Appropriations Act eliminated the authority to establish voluntary model national opportunity-to-learn standards as well as the requirement that states describe their "standards or strategies" for providing all students an opportunity to learn.
Concern:

 The GOALS 2000 Act is the result of the liberal education establishment's wish list.
Reality:

 GOALS 2000 passed the Congress with strong bipartisan support, and has been endorsed by national business organizations, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Alliance of Business, the Business Roundtable, and the National Association of Manufacturers. The GOALS 2000 Act supports an education reform agenda that was spearheaded by governors of both parties. It is a balanced bill, one that provides national leadership and some federal funds to support grassroots, bottom-up reform.

For more information about GOALS 2000 call 202-401-0039.


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This page last modified October 29, 2001 (jer)