A nation should require all its students to study the same national curriculum until they enter college rather than allow schools in different parts of the nation to determine which academic courses to offer.

The speaker would prefer a national

curriculum

Use synonyms

for all children up until college

instead

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of

allowing

Suggestion

Allowing

schools in different regions the freedom to decide on their own curricula. I agree

insofar

Suggestion

Insofar

as some common

core

Use synonyms

curriculum

Use synonyms

would serve useful purposes for any nation. At the

same

Suggestion

Same

time,

however

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, individual states and communities should have

some freedom to

Suggestion

some freedom

augment

Suggestion

Augment

any

such

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curriculum

Use synonyms

as they see fit;

otherwise

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, a nation's educational system might

defeat

Suggestion

Defeat

its own purposes in the long

tenn

Suggestion

Tenn

turn

. A national

core

Use synonyms

curriculum

Use synonyms

would be beneficial to a nation in a number of respects.

First

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of all,

by

Suggestion

By

providing all children with

fundamental skills

Suggestion

the fundamental skills

and knowledge, a common

core

Use synonyms

curriculum

Use synonyms

would

Suggestion

Would

help ensure that our children grow up to become reasonably informed, productive

members

Suggestion

Members

of society.

In addition

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, a common

core

Use synonyms

curriculum

Use synonyms

would provide a predictable

foundation

Suggestion

The foundation

Foundation

upon which college administrators and faculty could more easily build curricula and

select

Suggestion

Select

course materials for freshmen that are neither below nor above their level of

educational

Suggestion

education

experience

Suggestion

Experience

.

Finally

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, a

core

Use synonyms

curriculum

Use synonyms

would ensure that all

school-children

a young person attending school (up through senior high school)

schoolchildren

are taught

core

Use synonyms

values

Suggestion

The values

Values

upon which any democratic society depends to thrive, and even survive--values

such

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as

Suggestion

As

tolerance of others with different viewpoints, and respect for others.

However

Linking Words

, a common

curriculum

Use synonyms

that is

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also

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an

exdusive

large in spatial extent or range or scope or quantity

extensive

one would pose certain problems,

which

Suggestion

Which

might outweigh the benefits, noted above.

First

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of all, on what basis would certain

course

Suggestion

Course

work be included or excluded, and who would be the final decision- maker? In all

likelihood

Suggestion

Likelihood

these decisions would be in the hands of federal legislators and regulators, who are

likely

Suggestion

Likely

to have their own quirky notions of what should and should not be taught to

children

Suggestion

Children

--notions that may or may not reflect those of most communities, schools, or parents.

Besides

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, government officials are notoriously susceptible to influence-peddling by lobbyists

who

Suggestion

Who

do not have the best interests of society's children in mind.

Secondly

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, an official, federally sanctioned

curriculum

Use synonyms

would facilitate the dissemination of

propaganda

Suggestion

Propaganda

and other dogma which because of its biased and one-sided nature undermines

the

Suggestion

The

very purpose of true education: to enlighten. I can easily foresee the banning of certain text

books

Suggestion

Books

, programs, and websites which provide information and perspectives that the

government

Suggestion

The government

Government

might wish to suppress--as some sort of threat to its authority and power.

Although

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this

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scenario might seem far-fetched, these sorts of concerns are being raised

already

Suggestion

Already

at the

state

Use synonyms

level.

Thirdly

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, the inflexible nature of a uniform national

curriculum

Use synonyms

would preclude the inclusion of

programs

Suggestion

Programs

, courses, and materials that are primarily of regional or local significance. For

example

Suggestion

Example

, California requires children at certain grade levels to learn about the history of

particular

Suggestion

Particular

ethnic groups who make up the

state

Use synonyms

's diverse population. A national

curriculum

Use synonyms

might

Suggestion

Might

not allow for

this

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feature, and California's youngsters would be worse off

as a result

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of

their

Suggestion

Their

ignorance about the traditions, values, and cultural contributions of all the people whose

citizenship

Suggestion

Citizenship

they share. 5

Finally

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, it seems to me that imposing a uniform national

curriculum

Use synonyms

would serve to

undermine

Suggestion

Undermine

the authority of parents over their own children, to even a greater extent than

uniform

Suggestion

Uniform

state

Use synonyms

laws currently do. Admittedly, laws requiring parents to ensure that their children

receive

Suggestion

Receive

an education that meets certain minimum standards are well-justified, for the reasons

mentioned

Suggestion

Mentioned

earlier.

However

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, when

such

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standards are imposed by the

state

Use synonyms

rather than at the

community

Suggestion

Community

level parents are left with far less power to participate meaningfully in the

decision-making

Suggestion

Decision-making

process.

This

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problem would only be exacerbated were these decisions left

exclusively

Suggestion

Exclusively

to federal regulators. In the final analysis, homogenization of elementary and secondary education would amount

to

Suggestion

To

a double-edged sword. While it would serve as an insurance policy against a future

populated

Suggestion

Populated

with illiterates and ignoramuses, at the same time it might serve to obliterate cultural

diversity

Suggestion

Diversity

and tradition. The optimal federal approach, in my view, is a balanced one that

imposes

Suggestion

Imposes

a basic

curriculum

Use synonyms

yet leaves the rest up to each

state

Use synonyms

--or better yet, to each

community

Suggestion

Community

.