Many States Adopt National Standards for Their Schools

[groovedaddy]

Less than two months after the nation’s governors and state school chiefs released their final recommendations for national education standards, 27 states have adopted them and about a dozen more are expected to do so in the next two weeks.

Their support has surprised many in education circles, given states’ long tradition of insisting on retaining local control over curriculum.

The quick adoption of common standards for what students should learn in English and math each year from kindergarten through high school is attributable in part to the Obama administration’s Race to the Top competition. States that adopt the standards by Aug. 2 win points in the competition for a share of the $3.4 billion to be awarded in September.

“I’m ecstatic,” said Arne Duncan, the secretary of education. “This has been the third rail of education, and the fact that you’re now seeing half the nation decide that it’s the right thing to do is a game-changer.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/21/education/21standards.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

[mopinko]

1. another factor in rttt that nobody is talking about. nt

[jody]

2. How long before national education standards and federal funding lead to a single monolithic

national education system directed by the U.S. Department of Education and labor issues negotiated with the National Education Association et al?

[txlibdem]

3. With recent events in Texas would that be so wrong? n/t

[Hannah Bell]

4. the single standard facilitates privatization & mass-produced curriculum administered

by private corporations.

the us dept of ed is not the prime mover; they're a corporate tool, pushing the corporate agenda.

[Catshrink]

5. I attended a meeting two weeks ago that bears this out

The Arizona Legislature passed a law authorizing a "Grand Canyon Diploma" that students can earn by taking an exam after the 10th grade. It's supposed to be rigorous.

But here's the rub: there are three companies at this seminar who had a test. The district could purchase the test but to be sure students were prepared, they also needed to buy the curriculum that went along with it.

And there you have it: the publishing companies will make money on the tests and the curriculum. They paid big bucks for a business consortium to put this together meeting together and it was slick.

But the teachers weren't buying it. They wouldn't let us see very much of the curriculum and what we did see was universally felt to be lacking in flexibility, student-centeredness, and rigor. It seemed based on only one teaching methodology. They had no answers for special education students or ELL students.

We asked what happened to kids who didn't pass this test - well they could stay in school another two years and improve.

If this is where we're headed, American children are doomed to become widgets.

[Hannah Bell]

6. i saw a think tank paper - gates was involved - with recommendations

for a tiered system with testing all along the way to separate the college material from the trade school materiel, with japanese style testing in either 9th or test grade, at which point the sheep would be tracked into university, the goats into trade school.

a goat wouldn't be able to get into college if they didn't pass the test.

european/japanese style system, but without the more equal income distribution which makes it somewhat tolerable.

there are few second chances in the japanese system. almost none, in fact. i know less about the various european systems.

i also know tons of people who were screw-ups in high school but got it together in their 20s, 30s, 40s etc, went back to school & excelled.

gates et al want to preclude that most fundamentally american/democratic avenue of advancement & second chances.

when you're future's decided by the 9th grade, you're in the realm of hard class barriers.