SK>-> Setting this standard may in fact create a product that is not of the
  >-> highest possible quality for the $$$$ spent.
SK>True. My husband works for a company that has been a big government
  >supplier and had to contend with mil specs for a long time. This problem
  >(that you mention above with the entire mil spec process) is what has
  >lead to the abondoment of that procedure. The military and the
  >government are (I believe) no longer using this procedure in new
  >contracts. At least, that's what I gather from what hubby tells me about
  >more recent contracts they have bid on.
That would be for the good of all :)
SK>-> A National Curriculum by design would probably be dumbed down to
  >-> accommodate the lesser academically inclined students.
SK>This is certainly one possibility, but I don't believe that it is the
  >only one. I have read a fair amount on this topic in Educational
  >publications which intend teachers as their primary audience, and many
  >educators are warning against this.
Most educators I have come in contact through the years are not very
happy with the current dumbing down of the public system.  It has only
been in the last few years where we have regained discipline to some
extent.  A few law suits have been filed by the NAACP, ACLU ect but when
they realize the community will support fighting them to the max to make
policy stick they back off.  While all may be entitled to attend school
they are not entitled to the right to disrupt the educational process.
The dumbing down has been a result of people at the state level giving
into minority demands.  We may have voted enough of them out to start
turning that around as well.
 BUT if we go in with our eyes open, and aware
  >of such problems and conflicts, perhaps there is a way to deal with it.
  >The alternative, of course, is to do nothing and give up.
Another alternative is to stop hiring individuals who come from
substandard education districts.  To some extent this is already the
case.  Not all college degrees are equal and as we all know not all high
school diploma's mean the student is remotely well educated.  If the
National standard is high enough it will IMO be supported.  If it is not
we are better off where we are on a local basis.
SK>-> The result could be that districts who must only meet this minimum
  >-> standard would be overly generic.  While it is nice to believe that
  >-> teachers would be able to hold a high standard in the education
  >-> process I have seen little in the current methodology to indicate
  >-> that is the case.
SK>I can see what makes you write this. However, to already admit defeat is
  >to accept the status quo and attempt nothing.
Our district is far from admitting defeat.  It simply offers the highest
standard a student wishes to attain.  The vast majority get a less than
mediocre education, not because it is not available but simply because
they do not make the effort.  Current social systems are far too
rewarding of failure to encourage students to succeed.
SK>-> SK>I'm sorry, but this is just a bit too "Big Brother" for me to buy.
No need to buy, big brother is free.  Free lunch, free housing, free
medical, free transportation, the V chip, Ruby ridge, WACO, FBI, CIA,
IRS, ATF, SSI, Medicare, Medicaid, ect.  News flash, 56 % on average is
what we pay in taxes all inclusive.  Does that mean free really isn't
free ?  The reality is that anything GOVERNMENT is set to a minimum
standard.  Usually not as high as many would believe.
SK>I am well aware of the example on nuclear testing that you cite above,
  >and agree that your hypothetical examples would likely be targets of
  >information supression. But I think that that is INDEPENDENT of anything
  >to do with the school system. The supression of the nuclear testing
  >results and activitity had NOTHING to do with schools. You have to make
  >some sort of tie-in showing how adoption of a National curriculum or
  >standard would cause teachers or schools to supress publicly available
  >information, and I just don't believe that would happen. As soon as
  >something like the nuclear testing has come to light, there have been
  >teachers in their classrooms talking about it.
Remember the duck and cover routine.  That had to do with schools and
was not very realistic.  All throughout my child hood the commies were
coming to get us and now they are our friends if you believe what is
discussed in the school locally.  National curriculum has a great deal
of potential for corruption unless it is addressed only in a few core
subjects as has been suggested before.  If they are to include BS items
like pubic service requirements then it will simply not be acceptable to
many people, my self included.
SK>Others who have more experience with the system in Texas have also
  >corroborated that they have fallen into the "teach to the test"
  >syndrome. The primary reason for this is that teacher evaluation is
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