Debating National Standards
The debaters at the NYT Room for Debate take a look at the pros and cons of national curriculum standards:
Twenty-seven states have said they will adopt the recently unveiled national education standards, and several other states are expected to sign on in the next two weeks.
The Obama administration has pressed hard for the speedy acceptance of the so-called common core standards, arguing that the establishment of centralized norms replacing those in 50 states will raise the achievement of students who most need help. The opponents say that a system created in Washington will become captive to the education establishment, and that the standards, as currently written, will promote mediocrity across the board.
