Delegates hold town hall on national standards
05/09 -- NSBA still opposes the federal government’s efforts to impose mandatory standards, but many delegates said the association must be part of the national discussion taking place. In addition to the federal government, a number of entities, including groups of states voluntarily working together, are advocating for some form of national education standards.
The approved resolution draws a distinction between the two efforts, stating that NSBA opposes any attempt to make national standards mandatory on states or local districts, or as a condition for federal aid. At the same time, it urges Congress and President Obama to “support state and local efforts to provide students with an education that is appropriately focused on the skills and uses of knowledge needed for success in the global and technological world of the 21st century.”
This can be done, the resolution states, “by funding multiple education entities, including regional education entities, to develop model standards for voluntary adoption.”
The resolution calls for federal support for research and financial assistance to help states and groups of states “in developing and implementing standards around the skills and uses of knowledge that students will need in the 21st century” and “in developing and implementing content standards.”
The resolution also expresses opposition to make these efforts mandatory on states or local districts or as a condition for federal aid, and says NSBA opposes efforts to involve the federal government directly or indirectly in these efforts.
The town hall discussion was led by the executive directors of two state school boards associations—Colorado’s Ken DeLay and North Carolina’s Ed Dunlap. DeLay presented the opposition’s viewpoint, while Dunlap presented what supporters have to say. Before the discussion, NSBA Associate Executive Director Michael A. Resnick reviewed the background of standards and the status of the issue in Washington, D.C., to set the stage.
DeLay said national standards are a “one-size-fits-all” solution that will be more likely to result in “mediocrity” than excellence. He said standards will result in “compromises that pay off various constituencies” and will be “a mile wide and an inch deep.” The next step, he said, will likely be a national assessment.
“Who should decide what is taught in your schools—you or federal bureaucrats?” DeLay asked the delegates.
Dunlap argued that we need national standards “if we are going to remain globally competitive.” While acknowledging that the standards are “a slippery slope,” he said local school boards and state associations can serve as the “handrail” if they are part of the discussion.
“We need to ensure every student in every district has the same opportunity and that all students are taught what they need to succeed,” Dunlap said. “Students need to understand science and math regardless of where they go to school.”
Stu Gibson, president of the Virginia School Boards Association, said national standards will make school boards irrelevant. “We are expected to educate each child to full potential. What we teach shouldn’t depend on who controls the White House or Congress.”
Peter Calvo, a New Jersey school board member, spoke in favor of national standards. “We should not only be at the table, we should be leaders in developing standards,” he said. “It’s up to us to establish that agenda.”
The Delegate Assembly passed 21 other policies and resolutions, which serve as marching orders for NSBA’s advocacy efforts over the coming year. These include resolutions calling for Congress to:
• Support full funding for public education and all federal mandates.
• Oppose vouchers, tax credits, and any other efforts to use public tax dollars to subsidize private schools.
• Reauthorize the No Child Left Behind Act to provide greater flexibility, multiple measures of academic achievement, and strategic, locally designed interventions rather than costly, ineffective sanctions.
• Refrain from imposing additional mandates on childhood nutrition.
• Expand access and funding for high-quality, voluntary prekindergarten.
• Ensure that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act allocates funds to districts swiftly and provides them with maximum flexibility.