EDUCATION PUT TO THE TEST (CS Monitor)

[Gabie Gedlaman - AZ Standards <gabieg@AZSTANDARDS.ORG>]

EDUCATION PUT TO THE TEST
Ten years into one of the most sustained drives to reform education in
American history, the outlook for the nation's schools is decidedly mixed.
It's not for lack of effort: In urban and suburban schools alike,
attention has been focused on reducing class sizes. New and clearer
standards have been developed for what kids at each grade level should be
able to learn and do. Students take many more state-mandated tests; soon,
in more than 20 states, they won't be able to graduate without passing
them. There is also more interest in requiring prospective teachers to
prove subject mastery. More children are able to choose the public school
they attend, and in a handful of cities they can even use public or
private vouchers to help pay for private school. The ultimate goal, of
course, is to ensure that students who graduate from high schools in the
United States will have the skills to match the degree. But has the
sometimes-frenzied focus on schools actually made them any better?
http://www.csmonitor.com/cgi-bin/getasciiarchive?script/2001/12/26/p17s1.txt