Education reform is a broad term encompassing many different initiatives to improve the legislation, standards, methodology and policy affecting a nation’s education system. It encompasses a wide array of topics, including curriculum standards, teacher training and development, school choice and educational technology, and educational accountability and assessment.

The goal of education reform is to improve the quality of a country’s schools. This can be done by establishing new academic standards, improving teaching techniques, providing greater opportunities for students to succeed, and more. It can also be done by increasing the accessibility and availability of schools, for example through voucher programs or magnet schools.

Throughout history, there have been many different motivations for education reform, from educating religious leaders to promoting social equality. For the most part, however, education reform efforts have been focused on addressing some societal issue. For example, educational inequalities are often correlated with socio-economic problems such as poverty, unemployment and poor health.

The modern era of education reform began with the Civil Rights movement and the 1954 Brown vs Board of Education decision that declared segregation unconstitutional. The following years saw a great deal of reform legislation focused on ensuring equal access to a good education for all children, regardless of their socioeconomic status. These efforts helped to close the gap between white and black children and eventually lead to a more equitable society. Today, education reform initiatives focus on a number of different issues including standards and standardized testing. These initiatives often result in a focus on test preparation, leading to a dreaded phenomenon known as “teaching to the test.” This overemphasis, combined with high stakes assessments and punitive measures can create an unhealthy environment for both educators and students.