Education Standards and Quality

Almost all states have officially adopted the Common Core Standards in education. The remaining probably will. Understanding these standards is necessary, as they will soon affect public school students. During my last post, I explained what standards are, how teachers currently use them and why public schools will adopt the Core Standards. However, several controversial concepts influence the quality of the Core Standards, the Department of Education's largest move in regulating what schools teach. The standards' creators, the government's role in education and the standards' actual content top the list of concerns.

In a press release dated June 2, 2010, the National Governors Association (NGA) lists "content experts, states, teachers, school administrators and parents" as the creators of the Core Standards. While the list looks impressive, it could be more so if such leaders in education had already fixed the system with standards. This has not happened; instead, schools have standards with unsuccessful results. Even as NGA promotes the English-language arts and mathematics standards for grades K-12 as establishing "clear and consistent goals for learning that will prepare America's children for success in college and work," educators cannot ignore previous state standards and NCLB initiatives with similar talking points.

Creators such as the NGA influenced the goals for what American students should know. These standards provide a facile, set design for teaching every student, in every school, in every state. Some states question that adoption of the Core Standards will lower their state standards in two ways. Firstly, states may have stronger standards and will lower them to meet the Core Standards. Secondly, schools do not necessarily want strong standards. If the bar for measurement is set low, schools will easily show improvement, earning more money. Now with Race to the Top, states have incentive to create low standards, as showing improvement is a competition. Furthermore, even though Secretary Duncan acknowledged that federal law does not require adoption of these standards, states must adopt them for consideration of Race to the Top funds.

Normally the states' responsibility, the federal government is attempting to get schools working well. The US Constitution nowhere mentions education, which is the biggest argument against federal education standards. (And then the government and creators are calling them "core standards" when they really are "national standards," which fuels suspicions). While updating practices and implementing current research is essential for any successful operation, 1) standards have not conclusively helped schools, and 2) are these really new? Politicians need a good show of "making strides in education" while they simply stand still. Altering the same system is likely to produce similar results. Right now, states are implementing these standards. Schools have done it before, with much fanfare and pomp. However, American schools are still standing still.

Photo Credit: Library of Congress