K-12 Curriculum Development

President Barack Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan have recently shared their thoughts on national standards for K-12 education in the United States.  On February 16, Randi Weingarten wrote an Op-Ed article in The Washington Post.  Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers, wrote "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."

"The United States Constitution created a national system of banking, transportation, commerce, justice, and the military with attendant national agencies and institutions to plan, direct, and implement them; education was left under the old Articles of Confederation, where it remains to this day" (English & Steffy, 2001, p. 31).

Questions for Professional Dialogue:

What are the benefits of national standards?

What are the weaknesses of national standards?

Do you teach in a country with national standards?

What is your opinion on national standards versus state standards?

Additional Sources:

The Accountability Illusion
Released by the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation (Feb. 19, 2009)

Benchmarking for Success: Ensuring U.S. Students Receive a World Class Education
National Governors Association (Dec. 19, 2008)

Education Standards are not the Answer
CATO Institute (article appeared in The Washington Post - April 5, 2007)

The Case for National Standards in American Education
Education Week - Commentary (March 5, 2007)

National Standards: 50 Standards for 50 States Is a Formula for Incoherence and Obfuscation
Education Week - Commentary (January 5, 2006)

The Case for National Standards, Accountability and Fiscal Equity
The Center for American Progress (2005)

English, F.W., & Steffy, B.E. (2001). Deep curriculum alignment: Creating a level
          playing field for all children on high-stakes tests of educational
          accountability. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, Inc.

Leave a Reply