Criticisms of the Standards Movement

Marzano and Kendall (1996) describe the following issues, which were raised by critics of the standards movement:

"Resources. Some saw the standards movement as a major drain on resources that should be used for more pressing needs such as basic educational materials."
"Educational Apartheid. Other critics saw the standards movement as another burden that would be placed on the shoulders of those who traditionally do not do well in schools."
"Standards as New Attempts at Previous Failed Reforms. Still others saw the standards movement as a thinly veiled attempt at a type of educational reform that had been tried a number of times before."
"Content. In addition to its association with the flawed efficiency and behavioral objective movements of the past, the standards movement received a fair amount of criticism for the very content it promoted. Perhaps the lowest point in the standards movement was the debate over the history standards. . . . To date, the history standards have not recovered from the negative public perception generated by [Lynne] Cheney's criticisms."
"Volume of Material. Perhaps the ultimate criticism of the national efforts to establish standards was the charge that, once developed, they were simply too cumbersome to use."