Critics have complained that under OBE, schools would teach such terrible concepts, such as values and ethics, instead of reading and arithmetic. These new academic standards will provide that focus and bring that accountability. We have to do it anyway. Many feel that education reform should remain at the local level and don't show much confidence in Ridge's new standards-based curriculum.
Every time there's a new administration, they'll change it again.
Even without state requirements, most schools, on a district-wide basis, enforce quite stringent requirements for teachers to further their training and update their teaching skills, but at least with Ridge's new standards, it will be mandatory state wide. Possibly, a melding of the two concepts is what is necessary. Regardless, we are going to have a bit of a change here in our state in the art of educating. A need develops, a need for lots of money, not that a lot of money shouldn't be spent on our children's education. Let's build a brand new zillion dollar baseball stadium.