National Education Standards are Still a Can of Worms

Almost everyone has an opinion on National Education Standards. This article in the Washington Post argues that they don't work and won't work, despite the fact that over 40 States in this great country of ours have some sort of set standards.

I agree with the Washington Post's assessment. They don't work. It's been shown time and time again as we set standards and fail to meet them almost across the board. So, what should we do? The article states, "We should focus on better teaching methods and better training of teachers, as well as school structures that help educators work more as teams." While, I'm not sure that's the answer, I think it does go part way to addressing the problem.

The real question is what is the problem? Until we look at this issue from all the angles possible, from how we address educating the ever-growing bi-lingual population in this country to how we meet the needs of challenged and gifted students best without teaching only to the lowest common denominator in each classroom, we won't find a solution. And, there's likely not just one solution. There are many—as with most challenges.

Another interesting take on this topic is presented in this great video: Ken Robinson: Changing education paradigms. One of the statements in the video is, "The current education system was designed and conceived for another age." How true.

Both the article and the video are worth the time if education is a topic you are passionate about. Let me know what you think.