The Culture and History of Standards-Based Educational Reform and Social Studies in America

Abstract

There is no surprise that the culture of America’s public education system is continually changing. More than a decade ago the federal initiative No Child Left Behind (NCLB) was signed into law; a law that many consider the pinnacle of the standards-based educational reform (SBER). The purpose of this study was to define the nature, culture, and meaning of the contemporary standards-based educational reform movement, and to trace the historical roots of the SBER via federal and state educational policies, as well as the work of various professional organizations.