THE POLITICS OF NATIONALIZING CURRICULAR CONTENT

The nationalization of policy for curricular content standards has evo lved over a number of years and has widespread support. But, certifyin g national content standards involves fundamental political decisions about what knowledge is most worth knowing. This article stresses key areas of political conflict, and the difficult trade-offs that a natio nal standards approval group must make. The difficulty of building a c oalition is highlighted through analysis of left-wing support for expl icit opportunity-to-learn standards and right-wing objection to educat ional outcomes. This article focuses on the initial approval stages of national curriculum content standards and not upon the obstacles to c lassroom implementation.