Sure. I imagine though the move to teaching to a standardized test was a result of a previous failure in education. I would guess because there was a lot of disparity between States.
I feel like education as a priority needs to be in the national zeitgeist — perhaps is not. The U.S. had it during the Cold War.
I grew up in the 70's and there were still echoes of the Space Race in the U.S. And education was fairly progressive. I even went to an "experimental school" for a year where they had open classrooms, emphasis on experimentation, new math, etc. (and this in Kansas of all places).
As an example, I remember too in the 70's when the Metric System was made a national priority. Until it suddenly was not. (And Federal Markers, like on an highway summit, that had had elevation in both feet and meters went back to just feet.)
During the Cold War, as now, engineering was where the high paying jobs were. And living the dream life in California....
I'm not sure why more kids don't aspire to that today (or why their parents don't foster it). Perhaps engineering is seen as a difficult and stressful career, and perhaps people think there are, dare I say, lazier ways to get rich?
I feel like education as a priority needs to be in the national zeitgeist — perhaps is not. The U.S. had it during the Cold War.
I grew up in the 70's and there were still echoes of the Space Race in the U.S. And education was fairly progressive. I even went to an "experimental school" for a year where they had open classrooms, emphasis on experimentation, new math, etc. (and this in Kansas of all places).
As an example, I remember too in the 70's when the Metric System was made a national priority. Until it suddenly was not. (And Federal Markers, like on an highway summit, that had had elevation in both feet and meters went back to just feet.)
During the Cold War, as now, engineering was where the high paying jobs were. And living the dream life in California....
I'm not sure why more kids don't aspire to that today (or why their parents don't foster it). Perhaps engineering is seen as a difficult and stressful career, and perhaps people think there are, dare I say, lazier ways to get rich?