Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/15/AR2009021501257.html
Author: Randi Weingarten, President of the AFT

“The countries that consistently outperform the United States on international assessments all have national standards, with core curriculum, assessments and time for professional development for teachers based on those standards… But there is little outrage over the uneven patchwork of academic standards for students in our 50 states and the District of Columbia. And the federal government has tacitly accepted this situation by giving a seal of approval…”   She reneges on her affinity for nationalized control, stating…

“I am not talking about federal standards… nor am I proposing that state and local education authorities lose all say on curriculum. I certainly am not suggesting that teachers be forced to provide instruction in a scripted, lock-step manner, unable to tailor lessons or draw on their own expertise…. Education is a local issue, but there is a body of knowledge about what children should know and be able to do that should guide decisions about curriculum and testing.”  Then she proposes only what already exists, stating…

“I propose that a broad-based group — made up of educators, elected officials, community leaders, and experts in pedagogy and particular content — come together to take the best academic standards and make them available as a national model. Teachers then would need the professional development, and the teaching and learning conditions, to make the standards more than mere words.”

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