Oh, of course, Dottie! I know I was intending minimum standards in this discussion. You KNOW I want individualized education!
Honestly, I'm not sure I'm pro having big-picture standards, given that most people aim to do the minimum that's required and no more. I think it ultimately sets the bar too low. But I suspect it's unavoidable to have them in some form. I mean, we have them now and have had them for as long as I know. Certainly since we saw the end of the 1-room schoolhouse...
But one way or another, I do think that some minimum level of education must be granted to all. So how do you communicate that level without big-picture standards? It's what state licensure is about. It's what NCLB is about. It's what state laws about education are about. It's already there in the system.
