National standards in American education: a citizen's guide

Abstract

In this text, Diane Ravitch reviews the history of standards and assessments in American education; reviews evidence about student achievement in the United States; and state-level activities; and analyses the prospects for a national assessment system. During the last two decades, as evidence of declining student performance has mounted, public dissatisfaction with the quality of American schools has reached an all-time high. Many elected officials, educators, and policymakers have concluded that the solution lies in establishing standards to clarify educational objectives and a testing system to determine if progress is being made. Both Presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton endorsed this idea and each proposed legislation to promote its development. But while this effort has enjoyed wide support, it has also attracted bitter opposition from both political extremes, largely because of concerns about a national curriculum and federal control of education. Ravitch contends that raising standards is not only about raising the achievement of the best students, but also about raising the achievement of all students. In order to implement systematic reform that achieves this goal, she suggests that deciding what children should learn is the first step. However, national standards should not discredit unorthodox educational programs or dictate instructional methods. She makes recommendations regarding the role of states in setting standards for schools and districts, the role of institutions of higher learning and business in promoting standards, and the role of assessments in maintaining standards. Ravitch concludes that a system of standards and assessments, no matter how reliable, will not solve all the problems of American education, but it will help to get the learning part of the educational system right. Ultimately, the improvement of American education depends on widespread cultural support for educational achievement.

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