they issued the first national standards for English,
mathematics, science, history, and geography, as
well as rules for standardized testing and enforcing
teacher accountability. In the same year, the Na-
tional Council of Teachers of Mathematics issued
theCurriculum and Evaluation Standards for School
Mathematics.
Impact The standards and accountability move-
ment was relatively new in the 1980’s but quickly
gained national popularity and bipartisan political
support. While Republicans Ronald Reagan and
George H. W. Bush put school accountability on the
national agenda, Democrat Bill Clinton was one of
the pioneers of state-level accountability programs
as governor of Arkansas, and he would continue to
support the movement as president.
Further Reading
Adler, Mortimer.Paideia Proposal.New York: Touch-
stone, 1998. Argues that the flaw of the American
educational system is that it does not teach chil-
dren to think, but merely to memorize facts.
___.Six Great Ideas.New York: Touchstone, 1997.
Argues that specific core Western ideas should be
part of every education. Critiques the use of stan-
dardized tests to evaluate student progress.
Gordon, David T.A Nation Reformed: American Edu-
cation Twenty Years After “A Nation at Risk.”Cam-
bridge, Mass.: Harvard Educational, 2003. History
of the standards and accountability movement,
starting withA Nation at Risk.
Hayes, William.Are We Still a Nation at Risk Two De-
cades Later?Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Education,
- Analyzes the impact of the reform move-
ment that arose in response to the 1983 docu-
ment.
McGuinn, Patrick J.No Child Left Behind and the
Transformation of Federal Education Policy, 1965-
2005.Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2006.
History of federal education policies for the forty
years prior to passage of George W. Bush’s No
Child Left Behind Act.
John C. Hathaway
See also Bennett, William; Bush, George H. W.;
Closing of the American Mind, The; Cold War; Educa-
tion in the United States; Magnet schools; Main-
streaming in education; Multiculturalism in educa-
tion;Nation at Risk, A; National Education Summit
of 1989; Reagan, Ronald; School vouchers debate.
Star Search
Identification Television talent and variety show
Date Aired from 1983 to 1995
Star Searchwas a nightly prime-time television talent com-
petition, in which contestants competed against one an-
other in six different categories for money and a chance at
fame.
On September 17, 1983,Star Searchpremiered on
the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) network
and became a staple of 1980’s television. The pro-
gram was originally broadcast from the Earl Carroll
Theater on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, Califor-
nia, and later from the Hollywood Center Studios on
Las Palmas Boulevard in Hollywood. The show was
hosted by the longtime cohost ofThe Tonight Show,
Ed McMahon, and its announcer was Sam Riddle.
Star Searchwas based on traditional talent competi-
tions and variety shows: Contestants competed in
various categories for a chance to remain on the pro-
gram and ultimately to compete in the semifinal
and final rounds. Before they could compete on
the show, would-be contestants had to audition off-
camera, and the competition was fierce. Once on
the show, contestants sought to win nightly competi-
tions against newcomers. The winner of each com-
petition returned, and the loser was eliminated.Star
Searchcompetition was divided into six categories:
Male Vocalist, Female Vocalist, Young Performer,
Group, Fashion Model/Spokesperson, and Com-
edy. Each episode would pit a challenger against a re-
turning champion, with the challenger having the
advantage of performing first. After the brief perfor-
mances, a panel of five celebrity judges voted on
each contestant. Each judge could award a perfor-
mance one to four stars. The scores were revealed af-
ter both performances, and the contestant with the
highest average of votes would appear on the follow-
ing program. In the event of a tie, the audience
would cast the deciding vote, which would be re-
vealed at the end of the show.
Originally, the contestant that remained on the
show the longest in each category would win the
grand prize in that category. Throughout the run of
the series, however, the rules changed, and a rule
was adopted that any contestant who managed to
win three consecutive matches would be retired and
invited to return the following week. For the semifi-
nal and final rounds, the panel of judges was re-912 Star Search The Eighties in America