With support from Arne Duncan, the editorial board of the New York Times and now AFT President Randi Weindgarten, the push for national standards can now be called a movement. Weingarten has an op-ed in the Washington Post this morning noting “the countries that consistently outperform the United States on international assessments all have national standards, with core curriculum, assessments and time for professional development for teachers based on those standards.” In the U.S. states like Massachusetts and Minnesota that have set high standards have fared well, but standards for the rest of the country, she writes, are a mixed bag.
Imagine the outrage if, say, the Pittsburgh Steelers had to move the ball the full 10 yards for a first down during the Super Bowl while the Arizona Cardinals had to go only seven. Imagine if this scenario were sanctioned by the National Football League. Such a system would be unfair and preposterous. But there is little outrage over the uneven patchwork of academic standards for students in our 50 states and the District of Columbia. And the federal government has tacitly accepted this situation by giving a seal of approval to states that meet the benchmarks for improved achievement established by the federal No Child Left Behind Act — even if their standards are lower than those of other states.
“Education is a local issue, but there is a body of knowledge about what children should know and be able to do that should guide decisions about curriculum and testing,” Weingarten observes. “I propose that a broad-based group — made up of educators, elected officials, community leaders, and experts in pedagogy and particular content — come together to take the best academic standards and make them available as a national model. Teachers then would need the professional development, and the teaching and learning conditions, to make the standards more than mere words.”
Great piece Randi. Once again the AFT makes concessions in education reform that have the real possibility of helping kids. I can only hope the NEA joins in the crusade.
Why shouldn’t kids from Mississippi have access to and be responsible for the same rich body of knowledge as kids from Massachusetts? They should. The only hurdle in the way for the immediate future is the NEA.
In a brief aside Randi: please do something about minimizing/reducing Klien’s over regimentation of instruction inside New York City classrooms. It’s beyond ridiculous – it’s EMBARRASSING!
Comment by Paul Hoss — February 16, 2009 @ 8:59 am
Actually, I think “state-rights” conservatives are as big an impediment to national standards as the NEA.
Comment by Rachel — February 16, 2009 @ 1:19 pm
In response to Paul Hoss, Weingarten’s support for national standards does not represent a “concession” from AFT. Al Shanker supported national standards long ago. The national standards idea is consistent with work AFT has been doing for years.
Comment by Claus — February 16, 2009 @ 6:05 pm
Claus,
My apologies. I am aware of much of Shanker’s pioneering efforts in education reform. The AFT has been on the right track for years and much of it has to do with Shanker’s efforts.
I understand your concern regarding the use of “concessions.” However, I believe my qualifier of “once again” should have implied that the AFT (led by Shanker) was perpetuating their priority of helping students, not initiating it. again, sorry for the confusion.
Comment by Paul Hoss — February 16, 2009 @ 10:27 pm
The NFL analogy is a poor one, since all the teams within it have *VOLUNTARILY* agreed to a common set of standards. Other football leagues have their own set of rules that may be very different from the NFL’s (for example Pop Warner). And if a team not affiliated with any formal league wants to have a totally idiosyncratic set of rules, all it needs to do is find another team willing to follow them (this often happens in backyard games).
Comment by Crimson Wife — February 17, 2009 @ 5:54 pm