Congress Must Support State Efforts for Rigorous Common Standards, Witnesses Tell House Panel
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The federal government should support state efforts to develop a common core of rigorous, internationally benchmarked academic standards, witnesses told the House Education and Labor Committee today. The hearing showed that momentum for stronger, state-developed standards is growing, with teachers, schools, business leaders and stakeholders from across the political spectrum voicing support. “With standards varying vastly from state to state, a high school diploma no longer guarantees that students are proficient enough to succeed in college or a career or to compete with their international peers,” said U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chair of the committee. “It’s become increasingly clear that a rigorous, common core of standards is essential to help teachers teach and students learn. It’s critical to our goal of building world class schools that prepare all Americans to compete in 21st century jobs and our global economy.”
“We know that rigorous academic standards are necessary to prepare today’s students to succeed in tomorrow’s competitive world. And we also know that the federal government is ill-equipped – and ill-suited – to make decisions about what and how our children should learn,” said U.S. Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-CA), the panel’s top Republican. “Today’s hearing was a clarion call for state and local leadership in the area of high standards, and common benchmarks, to improve student academic achievement. We know what needs to be done, and I’m pleased to see that states are stepping up to the challenge.”
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Over the past 40 years, America has fallen from first in the world to 18th in the number of students graduating from high school and our share of the world’s college graduates has dropped from 30 percent to 15 percent. On the 2006 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) test, the U.S. ranks near the bottom of all industrialized countries in math, science and problem solving.
Witnesses testified the current system encourages states to lower their standards instead of raising them. As a result, a lack of comparability is undermining both students and America’s competitiveness abroad.
“Common state academic standards will strengthen U.S. competitiveness and individual success,” said Greg Jones, the chair of the California Business for Excellence in Education. “If standards are watered down, or individual states refuse to join the common state standards effort, we will not succeed in creating the globally competitive workforce of tomorrow.”
In Mississippi, for example, 89 percent of students are reading at or above proficiency on state assessments, while only 18 percent are proficient based on the National Association Educational Progress (NAEP).
Witnesses also urged the federal government not to interfere with state-led efforts to develop common standards, but rather to encourage such efforts through incentives and better support. They argued that the leadership must continue to come from states.
“States must lead this effort for the good of our young people and for the good of our country,” said Dr. Ken James, Commissioner of Education in Arkansas and the president of the Council of Chief State School Officers. “Rather, the purpose of the common state standards initiative is to raise the bar for all states by drawing on the best research and evidence from leading states and experts regarding, among other things, college-and work-readiness, rigorous knowledge and skills, and international benchmarking.”
Witnesses pointed to a “Race to the Top Fund” included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which allows the Secretary of Education to reward states that are using innovative approaches to raise student achievement, as a good starting point. Education Secretary Arne Duncan has said he is considering using the $5 billion fund to help develop higher standards, among other things.
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said many of the challenges teachers face in the classroom could be addressed by a common core of standards.
“Developing a new system of standards at first blush seems like a daunting task but it must be done,” Weingarten said. “The ‘Race to the Top’ program presents an historic opportunity to move toward common state standard by providing funds to get the job done. It would be the best possible use of that funding and could and should guide all future reform efforts.”
David Levn, co-founder of the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP), a charter school program whose students are performing at a much higher level than their peers, emphasized the need for standards that are grounded in research and proven effectiveness.
“We need to be careful not to replicate the vast and vague standards we see in too many states.” Levin said. “The standards should be identified based on proven evidence of what is necessary for students to know and do in order to succeed in college and in work.”
Rigorous, common standards will only be effective if they’re part of a larger, systemic approach to significantly improve the nation’s schools.
“We know that standards are critical, but aren’t sufficient on their own. Only a systemic approach will get us where we need to be,” said Governor James B. Hunt, chairman of the James. B. Hunt Institute for Educational leadership and Policy Foundation Board and the former governor of North Carolina.” Standards need to be supported by an integrated system, including curriculum, assessment, instruction, teacher preparation and professional development.”
For more information and to view witness testimony, click here.
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