Comments on: Why you may be homeschooling

By: Ken

Ken — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 14:48:13 +0000

Paula’s right – as usual.

National standards become places of control for the worst ideas – like “Hey, let’s not study the Constitution”.

The Army already has the ASVAB and other standard tests it uses to sort out who is ready for what job.

By: TR

TR — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 21:33:08 +0000

We already have good national standards:
Reading and writing – Habrace College Handbook, Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary and Roget’s Thesarus
Math and Science – Any non-quantum theory textbooks
History – Extracts of original, non-newspaper or book, documents.

By: Paula Nelson

Paula Nelson — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 20:52:33 +0000

Employers may be a beneficiary of one national standard, but on the flip side, the employers (and in turn the economy etc.) are the losers if that national standard isn’t adequate which it isn’t. The true efficiency is in the competition not the standardization of education.

By: Ken

Ken — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:21:25 +0000

I mean, come on, get consistent. You don’t care about Army efficiency on gay policy. You don’t care about economic efficiency when the tax code rapes businesses.

Try, at some point, to show some consistency other than coming up with lame reasons why the guy you voted for isn’t busy hosing the country.

I was tough on those I voted for. I recommend it.

By: Ken

Ken — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:13:38 +0000

oh, so now you care about employers?

You’re only fine with it because people you like are doing it.

By: Carl Nelson

Carl Nelson — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:03:34 +0000

There are good reasons for national standards, call them optional goals if you like, if the nation is to be a united nation and not just a federation of states. Employers, for example, would like to know that it won’t matter where a kid came from if he met the national standards. Otherwise, the employer has to examine the kid’s roots for what to believe about his school records. As would colleges. As would the Army.

It’s OK if Alabama won’t tax itself for good schools or Oklahoma wants to teach its own brand of science, if all the kids from those schools wanted to stay in their state. But our economic advantage of a mobile work force would not be helped by having 55 standards.