ABSTRACT
In the General Accommodations for Non-Readers, teachers are advised that for students who are unable to read Lord of the Flies, the teacher should "rewrite student's text using pictures for key words, using Writing with Symbols software". The high-standards-for-all crowd insist that the proverbial playing field will be leveled by giving all ninth-graders Lord of the Flies. On the surface, E. D. Hirsch's premise would seem egalitarian, insisting that, with the right content, all children will have access to the same basic education: all knowledge for all people. People who label their think tanks "progressive" are as obsessed with the neat and tidy universe offered by alignment as are other Standardistos. The federal government should support the crafting, adoption, and promotion of voluntary, rigorous national curriculum standards in core subject areas so that students can succeed in every academic setting and in the national and global marketplaces. It should also expand national accountability measures and assist low-performing schools and districts.
