Due to recent advances in international education standards, the National Governor s’Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers along with a group of experts have proposed that certain core math and English skills become a part of every state’s academic curriculum. As European and Asian countries increase their education standards, the United States has fallen behind in the race to improve student performance in school. According to a September 22 article in The Washington Post, writer Nick Anderson stated that this new movement towards a national set of core skills "aims to lift expectations for students beyond current standards…to help the United States keep pace with the global competition."

The official website for the proposal, corestandards.org states that the main purpose of the national standards is to "help prepare students with the knowledge and skills they need to

succeed in college and careers and to be prepared to compete globally ...and clearer standards will help students

better understand what is expected of them and allow for more self-directed learning.

Although previous administrations tried to increase standards in education, they left jurisdiction to the states rather than create a national standard. With such bold new efforts in education reform, many have questioned whether or notthe government has the authority to undertake such efforts. In the same article, Anderson noted that "opponents say that the federal government should not dictate what is taught." However, the main purpose of the initiative is to increase national standards for education and meet or surpass the international standards for education.