When it comes to setting educational standards, is there any real benefit to state control? In this Education Week Commentary, Robert Gordon claims that states are better off letting the federal government take charge.
While inconsistent state standards make it difficult to effectively compare school performance between states, Gordon argues that national standards would allow for more accurate and across-the-board assessments of school progress. In addition, posits Gordon, if states were then rewarded by the federal government for their improvements, the competition for such rewards would create a “race to the top” that could only benefit teachers and students.
What do you think? Would national standards and tests help improve schools in the United States? And, beyond that, what effect would such standards and tests have on local control of schools?
