[superuser2]

If you look at the states'-rights arguments for why schools should be controlled and funded at the hyper-local rather than federal level, it seems many people in the US believe standards should be out of alignment across the country. People with political power honestly believe that kids in Kentucky ought to be educated differently than kids in Wisconsin.

[antognini]

I do believe that kids in Kentucky should be educated differently than kids in Wisconsin. If there was some One True Way to teach children I would see the advantage of setting standards at the federal level, but education research is a total mess. We don't yet have the One True Way to teach, and until then, I think there is a great deal to be said for experimentation.

[gozur88]

That seems pretty reasonable to me, though I don't think you're stating the position very clearly. It's more that people in Kentucky want control over the schools in Kentucky (which, you know, they're paying for) and don't really care what people in Wisconsin want to do with schools in Wisconsin. And vice versa.

[superuser2]

Sure, and wanting control is definitely what's really going on. What's curious is when the argument for wanting control is a belief that the appropriate education differs based on geography.

[gozur88]

How many people do you see making that argument?

[geofft]

Should kids in Kentucky be educated differently from kids in Yorkshire?