Uniform National Standards

Posted by Douglas Parker Apr 27, 2008

Much of the modern reforms to education are borne from the 1983 report, “A Nation at Risk,” in which the education commission concluded that the educational performance of American schools was abysmal, and that America had to do a better job in educating its children. Since that time, numerous educational reforms have come into favor and then disappear from sight in an attempt to provide quality educational opportunities for all children and to boost the high school graduation rates. Having each boy and girl achieve at his or her potential is a worthy goal; however, is the No Child Left Behind Act the best way to achieve this result?

The answer to that question may exist on the level of standards. As educators know, along with local school district or county academic standards, there exist numerous national, international, and collegiate standards that have been created after long periods of examination and discussions for each field of study. Many independent schools and magnet schools across the world have examined these standards and have chosen the best set of standards and benchmarks to meet the needs of their students. For example, if a school focuses on math and science, there are curricula available that best meets their needs.

The government needs to take a leadership role in establishing a set of well-established, uniform standards for all disciplines, including math and reading, and help the states by appropriately funding and supporting each state’s efforts to raise students’ levels of achievement. Tests need to be used to adjust a school’s curriculum and to help develop a learning plan for boys and girls, and not to just hold them back.