This is the VOA Special English Education Report.
这里是美国之音慢速英语教育报道。
Americans are considering national education standards recently developed by teachers and other education experts. The National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers led the effort.
美国人正在考虑最近由教师和其他教育专家制定的全国教学标准，全美州长协会和州立学校主管理事会主导这项工作。
The United States, unlike other nations, has never had the same school standards across the country. The reason? Education is not discussed in the Constitution. That document limits the responsibilities of the federal government. Other responsibilities, like education, fall to the individual states.
与其他国家不同，美国没有一个全国统一的教学标准。这是因为宪法没有规定教育问题。宪法规定了联邦政府的职责，教育等其他职责由各州自行决定。
Local control of education probably was a good idea two hundred years ago. People stayed in the same place and schools knew what students needed to learn. But today, people move to different cities. And some people work at jobs that did not exist even twenty years ago.
200年前，教育由各州独立管理是一个好主意。人们一直住在同一个地方，学校了解学生需要学习什么。但是今天，人们在不同的城市间迁移，一些人在某些20年前尚未存在的岗位工作。
Many American educators say that getting a good education should not depend on where you live. They say that some states have lowered their standards in order to increase student scores on tests required by the No Child Left Behind Act.
许多美国教育家表示，获得良好的教育不应取决于你的居住地。他们表示，一些州为了让学生在考试中达到“不让一个孩子掉队”法案所要求的分数，降低了本州的教学标准。
Kara Schlosser is communications director for the Council of Chief State School Officers. She says the new standards clearly state what a student should be able to do to be successful in college and work.
Kara Schlosser是州立学校主管理事会的新闻主管。她表示，新的标准将明确指出学生应该如何做才能在升学和就业中取得成功。
The standards deal with language and mathematics in every grade from kindergarten through high school. For example, in first grade, students should be asking and answering questions about something they read.
该教学标准涵盖从幼儿园到高中各年级的英语和数学两门学科。例如，一年级学生应该能就他们阅读的材料提问和回答。
In mathematics, students should be working with shapes in kindergarten and angles in fourth grade.
在数学方面，幼儿园的孩子应该认识图形，四年级的学生应该会计算角度。
Forty-eight states have already shown approval for the standards. Two states reject the idea. Critics say that working toward the same standards in every state will not guarantee excellence for all. Some educators in Massachusetts say adopting the proposal will hurt their students because the state standards are even higher. Others say the change will be too costly, requiring new textbooks and different kinds of training for teachers. Still others fear federal interference or control.
48个州已经表示将实施该标准，两个州拒绝采纳。评论家认为，每个州都采用同样的标准不能保证所有的学生都是优秀的。马萨诸塞州一些教育家表示，采取该标准会使学生受到伤害，因为该州的标准甚至更高。其他人则表示，标准的变化需要购买新的教材，并对教师做相应培训，成本太高。还有一些人则担心联邦政府的干预和控制。
Supporters say the standards are goals and do not tell states or teachers how to teach. They also say the federal government is not forcing acceptance. However, approving the standards will help states qualify for some federal grant money.
支持者则表示，这个标准只是一个目标，并没有具体要求各州和教师怎样教学。他们还说，联邦政府并没有强迫各州接受。然而，实施该标准将有助于州政府取得联邦拨款资格。
And that's the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. I'm Steve Ember.
这里是美国之音慢速英语教育报道，是由Nancy Steinbach编辑，Steve Ember为你报道的。
专有名词解释：
National Governors Association 全美州长协会
Council of Chief State School Officers 州立学校主管理事会
communications director 新闻主管
No Child Left Behind Act “不让一个孩子掉队”法案