Published annually, Brookings Papers on Education Policy (BPEP) analyzes policies intended to improve student performance. In each volume, some of the best-informed analysts in various disciplines review the current situation in education and consider programs for reform. In this fourth annual issue of the series, prominent educators and other social scientists discuss standards in education. Contents include: "Incentives and Equity under Standards-Based Reform" Julian R. Betts and Robert M. Costrell "Why Business Backs Education Standards" Milton Goldberg and Susan Traiman "State Academic Standards" Chester Finn Jr. and Marci Kanstoroom "Searching for Indirect Evidence for the Effects of Statewide Reforms" David Grissmer and Ann Flanagan "The Controversy over the National Assessment Governing Board Standards" Mark Reckase "The Role of End-of-Course Exams and Minimum Competency Exams in Standards-Based Reforms" John H. Bishop, Ferran Mane, Michael Bishop, and Joan Moriarty "A Diagnostic Analysis of Black-White GPA Disparities in Shaker Heights, Ohio" Ronald F. Ferguson