Now, much of state government is abandoning the term. Sen. Peter Kinder, R-Cape Girardeau, said Carnahan, fearing a loss in the 1996 election, is camouflaging his true opinion on OBE to simply meet public sentiment. He has continued to support education and will run on that record. But some OBE supporters say most people don't really understand the term. Carol Schmoock, the assistant executive director of the Missouri National Education Association, said the way opponents are attacking educational standards is unfair.
Most people only know what they hear on the radio or in misleading newsletters.
Missouri Citizens and Public Education Public Agenda has done it again, this time with a report on the attitudes of the residents of a single state toward schooling and its renewal. They see major problems in the state's schools, but they believe these problems can and should be addressed. Most Missourians are not ready to abandon the public schools. More specific findings include a broad consensus on the importance of clear academic standards, considerable optimism about technology and mixed views about locating social services on school grounds. If you're a collector of Public Agenda's fine work, you may want this one, too.