Mass standards better than national?

NY Times - July 21, 2010

In the ongoing debate over states' adoption of national academic standards, The New York Times reports that 27 states have already adopted the national education standards and about a dozen more are expected to do so in the next two weeks.

The move to adopt the standards in English and math is attributable in part to the Obama administration's Race to the Top competition.

But the article points to criticism of the move in Massachusetts by the nonprofit, nonpartisan organization Pioneer Institute. The group says vocabulary building of the new standards is slower and eighth grade math preparation for algebra one is inadequate.