The Study

In this article in Phi Delta Kappan, Professor David Labaree examines the issue of educational standards, specifically why Americans have so vigorously resisted educational standards over the years.

The Findings

The history of resistance to educational standards, Labaree writes, suggests that there are three features that have made standards such a hard sell: a commitment to local control of schools, a commitment to expansion of educational opportunity, and a commitment to form over substance in the way we think about educational accomplishment. In terms of local control, Labaree notes that given the nation's long history of opposition to government interference in local affairs, "it is not surprising that efforts to set educational standards at the national or state level have not proceeded very far." The second factor, expanding educational opportunities, has stifled standards because the push has been to increase the quantity of access to schooling rather than to improve the quality of learning. The final major factor that has caused trouble for educational standards has been America's longstanding emphasis on measuring educational achievement rather than on academic performance. "That is, we measure success by the amount of time we spend sitting in classrooms -- placing ourselves at risk of getting an education -- rather than by the amount of knowledge and skill that we actually acquire." The root of problem, in Labaree's view, is the ascendant vision of American public education as a private good -- not a public one. This consumer-oriented view of education works against educational standards. "[W]e don't want any system of standards that might restrict access to the educational goods our children might need in order to get ahead or stay ahead. Instead, we want a system like the current one, which allows our children to gain a competitive advantage over other people's children. The last thing we think we need is a standards effort that equalizes educational achievement and therefore puts my child and yours on an equal footing."

What It Means to You

Have standards-based reforms been difficult to implement in your district? Might Labaree's analysis document some of the reasons that efforts to implement standards have yielded little in the way of results? Has the emphasis in your district been to foster greater educational opportunities or improve the quality of teaching and learning?

For More Information

Labaree, D.F. (2000). Resisting educational standards. Phi Delta Kappan, 82(1), 28-33.

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