-==-
 
Some of the question areas presented included:
 
        - Should standards be discipline-based or interdisciplinary?
        - What's more important -- knowledge or skills?
        - Should standards focus on core skills and knowledge or be 
          more comprehensive?
        - Should standards be specific or general?
        - What grade intervals should be used to organize standards?
        - Are non-academic standards appropriate?
        - How can you incorporate workplace skills into academic
          standards?
 
From the reading I've done since delving into this topic, these 
questions all seem to be recurrent themes in the debate and both the 
guide and many other resources I've read indicate that there isn't 
really a "correct" answer.  Many states and/or communities are tackling 
the issue in different ways.  The guide is quick to point out that 
there may not be one "right" way.
 
The reports conclusion provided a list of useful tips for business 
people who participate in the standards process. The information they 
list came from actual experiences of those who *have been involved*. If 
people (note not just business people, but all players in the process) 
read and heed some of those tips, they will undoubtedly improve the 
communication process and help move towards creating standards everyone 
can live with.  The tips are broken down into three areas 1) If you're 
helping set standards policy 2) If your helping write standards and 3) 
If you're reviewing standards.  A closing quote was noteworthy:
 
        "The key to productive involvement is for business executives 
to decide how they can most effectively contribute to the 
standards-setting process and then determine what kinds of standards 
will work best in their states and communities."
 
I believe this sentiment extends to all involved with the process, not 
just the business leaders...but that's just my common sense meter 
chiming in again :)
 
The appendix and resource section provides a good cross section of 
source material on the topic.  Two items I found personally interesting 
were 1) a list of National Standards Developers by major "core" area 
and 2) the AFT's criteria for judging standards.
 
Overall I found the guide to be interesting and helpful as a plain 
language tool for the beginner.  Educators, business people and other 
interested citizens who are more familiar with the standards debate and 
the process may find the guide's approach simplistic or superficial.  
I believe the guide was prepared with the beginner in mind.  For those 
that question whether or not we should have standards, you'll have 
problems with the guide as it operates from the premise that "the first 
step to solving our nation's education problems is to substantially 
raise academic standards and verify achievement through rigorous 
testing." I'm sure there are those that would debate whether we should 
have standards at all.  I personally feel that they are necessary and 
am not interested in debating that topic.  I am interested however in 
many of the finer points such as those presented above (at the head of 
this message)
 
While the whole standards debate whirls around "problems" in where 
we're at, I did not find the guide antagonistic.  On the contrary, it 
leaned toward a participative approach involving all key players to 
move towards higher standards for those who use our educational system. 
It provided some basic ideas for people to get involved. Personally it 
has openned my eyes to a subject I'd not been previously involved with, 
my research into the topic will be beneficial to me as a member of our 
Chamber of Commerce, Education Committee, an educator and as a parent 
of 4 school age children.  In addition to reading up on the process of 
standards setting, I've started to examine the current standards in 
place in North Dakota (where we live and my kids go to school) as well 
as those in Connecticut (where I grew up). All very interesting.   
 
Well, for those of you who stuck with me through almost 200 lines of 
rambling, thanks ;)  I still thrill at learning something new -- and 
this fits the bill, I appreciate you letting me share this with you.  
 
Copies of the guide are available by sending a fax to The Business 
Roundtable at (202) 466-3509.
 
Regards to all,
 
  Dale
--- TriDog 10.0
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