American Education Standardization

The current public education system in America is not standardized. Adoption of CCCS has drawn our nation close to standardization of content; however, curriculum and state testing remain differentiated even in common core states. Additionally, Alaska, Nebraska, Texas, and Virginia remain steadfast in maintaining their right to develop their own content standards. Indiana, Oklahoma, and South Carolina have opted to repeal the standards (Bidwell, 2014). Minnesota opted to adopt the ELA standards and rejected the math standards (Common Core, 2015).
The goal of American education moving forward should not be standardization. The United States is a unique and diverse nation. We should not be in the business of cloning our children after children …show more content…
Standards such as Common Core highlight the disparity between socioeconomic statuses however; they do not provide tools to close the gap. Additionally, national standards naturally lead to a national standardized test and a national curriculum. National Standards create a financial drain on school systems and state educational budgets. Educational businesses that provide professional development, create curriculum, write textbooks, and create standardized tests stand to gain financially. Students will lose specialized instructional staff and educationally opportunities in the arts, STEM, physical education, and other areas not specifically linked to the standards. Students that have interest outside of the standards are stifled and disengaged. What becomes of those that do not meet the standards? How can a teacher appropriately differentiate instruction when tied to strict guidelines? If teacher evaluations and student promotion are tied to standardized test scores, teachers are compelled to teach to the test rather than exploring student interests and creative innovative thought processes. Additionally, students must spend precious instructional hours learning how to take