[SilasX]

I'm saying that "verifying schools are really teaching $R" requires something like a standardized test, but those are already unpopular even for things that people agree schools should be teaching.

Hence there is a tension between "graduation rates" and "adding more things-schools-have-to-teach", and yes, probably a lot of people who don't see the contradiction (between hate for standardized tests and demands that schools teach $R) as clearly as I've laid it out here.