currently so strong that it may well leave a sciencesupplies number of listeners wondering why such an obviously needed and beneficial reform wasn''t undertaken a long time ago. But the fact is that the effort to establish educational standards has always been an uphill fight in this country. In light of these circumstances, it is useful to examine why Americans have so vigorously resisted educational standards over the years. The history of such resistance suggests that there are three factors in particular that have made standards such a hard sell: a commitment to local control of schools, a commitment to expansion of educational opportunity, and a commitment to form over substance in the way we think about educational accomplishment. All three of these factors, which I treat below, can be traced in large part to our preference for one particular purpose of education:

who brought up the abuses of the school''s policy at a meeting in September. School administrators said last month that some parents have entered into provisional custody agreements with other Ascension residents just so their children could attend the school of that person''s sciencesupplies choice. The previous policy allowed parents of the student in question to sign a notarized agreement transferring school-related custody of their children to residents who live in the school district where they want their children enrolled. Hillensbeck and Superintendent Robert Clouatre said last month that school principals reported to them that students from other parishes, including St. James, Assumption and East Baton Rouge, were attending schools illegally in Ascension. Beginning in the 2001-2002 school year, no one will be allowed to attend school in Ascension outside his school district unless he shows proof of a court-ordered provisional custody agreement.

welcome to the internets premier listing for all your educational needs. Containing over 15,000 links to some of the best educational resources on the Internet, The Library in the Sky guides teachers, students, parents,librarians, and members of the community on their journeys through cyberspace. The Library was visited over 900,000 times in 1999, and we anticipate well over 1 million visitors in 2000! THE MATTER OF setting standards for American education is certainly quite visible these days, but much of what we hear about it is not very enlightening. The talk is frequently filled with ideological heat rather than with critical light, and the tone of the discussion is more often nostalgic than realistic. In addition, the pitch in favor of standards is

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