The purpose of this keynote address is to discuss how curriculum theory can make a specific contribution to research on transnational education policy; in particular, curriculum theory has implications for national policy due to the interest in exploring educational phenomena at different levels of the school system. From a Swedish perspective on curriculum theory, the coordinative transnational policy ideas of having ‘high expectations’ and ‘raising standards’ are traced through three levels of analysis: the transnational/national societal arena, the programmatic curriculum arena and the classroom/teaching arena. The transnational policy idea of ‘international standards’ underpins the idea of standards‐based curricula, with a focus on the need to reach certain standards of knowledge and obtain equity in assessment; accordingly, such objectives have certain implications for curriculum structure and content as well as for actual teaching in the classroom. At each level of analysis, some concepts are introduced because of their potential to contribute in both exploratory and clarificatory ways. The analysis indicates that there is a need to uphold the role of the curriculum as a framework for genuine educational standards, with the professional teacher serving as the main actor for building educational relationships; otherwise, there is a risk that curriculum standards will degenerate into the instrumental standardisation of knowledge and teaching.