这里是美国之音慢速英语教育报告。
Americans have never had national education standards. Goals for what public schools should teach are set by state and local school boards. Their members are often elected.
美国从未有过全国性的的教育标准。公立学校的教育标准由州和地方学校委员会设立，委员会成员由选举产生。
But some Americans say the lack of national standards is wrong in a competitive global economy. Former president Bill Clinton said it was as if somehow school boards "could legislate differences in algebra or math or reading."
但是一些美国人表示，在充满竞争的全球经济中，缺乏全国标准是错误的。前总统比尔·克林顿表示，这就好像是“学校委员会在代数，数学和阅读方面各自为政”。
President George W. Bush and Congress expanded federal intervention. His education law, still in effect, required states to show yearly progress in student learning as measured by the states' own tests.
此前的布什总统和国会加强了联邦政府干预。他制定的教育法当前依然有效，该法要求州政府通过各州自身的测试，来衡量学生在学习上取得的年度进展。
Now, the Obama administration supports what are known as the Common Core State Standards. These were developed in a year-long process led by state governors and chief state school officers. Texas and Alaska were the only states not to take part.
目前奥巴马政府支持共同核心（州立）标准。该标准由各州州长和最高教育长官历时一年牵头制定。德克萨斯州和阿拉斯加州是唯一没有加入该标准的两个州。
The standards are in two subject areas, English-language arts and mathematics. They establish goals for each year from kindergarten through grade twelve. The aim is for students to finish high school fully prepared for college and careers.
该标准涉及英语语言艺术和数学两个学科领域，建立了从幼儿园到十二年级每年的相关标准。目标是让高中毕业生为升入大学或就业做好充分的准备。
The developers considered standards in other countries, along with almost one hundred thousand public comments.
标准制定者考虑了其他国家的标准，以及近10万份市民的建议。
One way the Education Department is trying to persuade states is with money. States are competing to share in almost three and a half billion dollars as part of a school reform competition. They will earn extra points in the Race to the Top if they approve the standards by August second.
教育部试图说服州政府的方法之一就是资金。作为学校改革竞争的一部分，各州将通过竞争分享将近35亿美元的资金。如果他们在8月2日之前通过该标准，还将获得冲顶比赛（Race to the Top）的额外加分。
States are trying to recover from the recession. There are concerns that some could accept the standards and then lack the money to follow them.
各州正在努力摆脱经济衰退。有人担心，有些州会接受标准，但却没有足够资金来执行。
The final standards were released June second. A new report say about half the states have approved them already.
最终标准于6月2日发布。一份新的报告称大约一半的州已通过该标准。
The Thomas B. Fordham Institute is an education group in Washington. It says the standards are clearer and stronger than those used in three-fourths of the states. But the comparison also found that existing English standards are "clearly stronger" in California, Indiana and the District of Columbia.
托马斯·福特汉姆研究所是位于华盛顿的一家教育组织。该组织表示，该标准比3/4州的现行标准更加清晰有力。但对比还发现，加利福尼亚，印第安纳和哥伦比亚地区现行的英语标准（比全国性标准）“更加有力”。
States that approve the new standards have a right to add up to fifteen percent of their own.
通过新标准的州有权在标准中加入15%的自身内容。
In California, the State Board of Education plans to vote on August second to accept or reject a new set of standards. These are based largely on the common core, but also existing California standards.
加利福尼亚州教育委员会计划在8月2日投票决定是否接受一套新的标准。该标准大部分基于共同核心（州立标准），但也包含加利福尼亚现行标准。