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COPYRIGHT 2003 International Technology Education Association
Throughout our nation's history, education has had the fundamental purpose of developing a literate populace--one with knowledge, values, abilities, and sensibilities basic to the common good. In the end, education should serve the purpose of developing individuals who understand and act on the duties of citizenship. Clearly connected to the good of society, those duties exist in a context and have connection to contemporary factors upon which a society depends. Although one could discuss economic, political, and social factors, this essay specifically addresses technology. One unfulfilled promise in American education stands out--the technological literacy of all citizens. Standards for technological literacy hold the promise of fulfilling this educational purpose. This short essay discusses the place of standards in American education and the importance of technology standards as they hold potential to fulfilling the basic purpose of developing literate citizens.
An Era of Standards
The American public recognizes the critical importance of education and the need for improving student learning. That same public places great confidence in the education they experienced and sometimes questions contemporary innovations, such as standards, activity-based curriculum, technology, and performance-based assessments. Any examination of the values, processes, and problems of popular education would identify a particular hallmark of the period since the 1980s--standards-based reform (Ravitch, 1995a, b; Tucker and Codding, 1998).
Numerous reports dating from the turn of the century have influenced mathematics and science education. However, prior to the mid-1980s, there were few instances of professional organizations of K-12 educators producing anything as far-reaching as a set of standards for school curriculum and practice in a particular content area. Two decades ago, in 1983, the National Commission on Excellence in Education warned that our nation was at risk and recommended strengthening the content of the core curriculum and raising expectations of student achievement through standards.
In 1986, the Board of Directors of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) recognized a convergence of forces leading to a need for new directions in K-12 mathematics education. The demands of an information society and new societal goals for education, including mathematically literate workers, lifelong learning opportunities for all, and an informed electorate, provided the impetus for initiating the development of three standards documents in mathematics.
In 1989, the President and Governors met in Charlottesville, Virginia. During this summit, the President and Governors developed a set of national goals for education. Soon after release of the national goals, some leaders recognized both the strengths and weaknesses of the broad and abstract goals. In his role as chair of the National Education Goals panel, Roy Romer, then Governor of Colorado, guided the development of policies designed to facilitate higher levels of student achievement....
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