Teachers' response to standards-based reform: Probing reform assumptions in Washington State.

Because teachers’ efforts are central to the success of standards-based reform, it behooves the policy community to look carefully at the beliefs about instruction that are rooted in this reform theory. Building on teacher-centric research on standards-based reform and ideas about teaching practice from research on multicultural education, this paper focuses on the assumptions embedded in Washington state’s approach. Survey data from a representative sample of teachers suggest that the state’s program of high student learning standards, aligned assessments and an accountability system has shaped teachers’ instructional