Are National Math and Science Standards Really Necessary?
Math and science standards represent a large part of the country’s response to dissatisfaction with student performance in these subjects (for further discussion of national test results, see the article “A Comparison of Math and Science Education Here and Abroad”). Although setting higher expectations for student achievement seems to be a natural response to poor performance, national standards have drawn criticism for a number of reasons. Some members of the education community have argued that tougher math and science requirements would either reduce the high school graduation rate or maintain it at the expense of education quality. Neither of these predictions has been realized. Even though many schools and teachers have not fully reformed their curricula and practices to align with the standards, they seem to be exposing their students to more credit hours of math and science instruction. Others have worried that standards would exist as rigid prescriptions for educational practic
