Behind the Curtain: Assessing the Case for National Curriculum Standards. Policy Analysis. No. 661

Autor/in	McCluskey, Neal
Institution	Cato Institute
Titel	Behind the Curtain: Assessing the Case for National Curriculum Standards. Policy Analysis. No. 661
Quelle	(2010), (28 Seiten) PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Monographie
Schlagwörter	Evidence; National Curriculum; Economic Progress; Free Enterprise System; Educational Objectives; School Choice; Outcomes of Education; National Standards; Policy Analysis; Educational Change; Academic Achievement; Educational Attitudes; Test Results; Scores; Accountability; Educational Legislation; Federal Legislation; Public Schools; Achievement Tests; Government Role; Federal Government; Exit Examinations; Student Evaluation; Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Evidenz; Economic growth; Wirtschaftswachstum; Freie Wirtschaft; Educational objective; Bildungsziel; Erziehungsziel; Choice of school; Schulwahl; Lernleistung; Schulerfolg; Politikfeldanalyse; Bildungsreform; Schulleistung; Educational attitude; Bildungsverhalten; Erziehungseinstellung; Verantwortung; Bildungsrecht; Schulgesetz; Bundesrecht; Public school; Öffentliche Schule; Achievement test; Achievement; Testing; Test; Tests; Leistungsbeurteilung; Leistungsüberprüfung; Leistung; Testdurchführung; Testen; Bundesregierung; Final examination; Abschlussprüfung; Schulnote; Studentische Bewertung
Abstract	The argument for national curriculum standards sounds simple: set high standards, make all schools meet them, and watch American students achieve at high levels. It is straightforward and compelling, and it is driving a sea change in American education policy. Unfortunately, setting high standards and getting American students to hit them is extremely difficult. Politically powerful interest groups must be overcome. Crippling conflicts between different religious, ethnic, and ideological factions must be avoided. And a culture that is generally averse to an intense focus on academics must be transformed. These challenges help to explain why the research on national standards is both very limited and inconclusive. But what if the research were to clearly show that having national standards leads to superior performance on international tests? Still, there would not be compelling evidence that national standards produce optimal outcomes; economic growth, as well as personal fulfillment, could very well require an education focused on much more than just high test scores. It appears that the route to successful education goes in the opposite direction of national standards; it goes toward universal school choice. Only a free market can produce the mix of high standards, accountability, and flexibility that is essential to achieving optimal educational outcomes. (Contains 92 notes.) (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10