Jennifer Marshall of the Heritage Foundation outlines various objections to the national standards movement in this piece for The Foundry.

National standards would also further remove parents from their children?s education. Instead of being able to petition their local school boards or state leaders for changes in academic content, parents would have to lobby bureaucrats in Washington, DC, if they wish to see changes in what their child is learning.

This is perhaps the most worrisome part of the shift toward national standards. If imposed, parents and taxpayers will no longer be able to retain one of their most significant tools for education reform: the power to shape their schools? academic content, standards, and testing.

If states want some kind of national standard, they should choose from a menu of established, norm-referenced tests like the Iowa Test of Basic Skills or the California Achievement Test. There is no need to reinvent the wheel.

H/T: JC