What is our educational standard of care?

In the United States we are faced with a perplexing educational infrastructure. We have a federal department of education, but no federal compulsory education requirement for children. At the state level ages when students are required to participate in formal education range from age four to age seven (do you know what the required age is in your state?).

We have state educational policies that set the stage for what students should know and be able to do as a result of their formal education.

The pathways for students to fully master those expected results are many (and increasingly diverse by the day).

The conundrum we face today is that while we have treated education like other professions (except biting the bullet and fully funding education), we have yet to fully articulate a standard of care.

So as inequities in our schools continue to mount parents and caregivers are left wondering: what can I universally expect from my child’s education?

This last Spring I spent some time in schools around the country. What I saw was a bit shocking.

• I saw battered schools just as frequently as I saw beautiful schools that serve as national rockstars and models for design.
• I saw schools where kids were mastering content on…