R: End Standardized Testing

Education policy is perhaps the most contentious set of policies for the average American. Essentially all Americans have had bad experiences in education and fear that their children may have those same experiences, and thus armchair education politics is a staple of any family gathering.

For many parents, the bane of America's educational system is the institution of standardized testing. Many criticize the tests as too narrow-minded, often transforming the education system into a "test answers factory" rather than a way to expand a student's mental capacities, as often what is not tested is not taught. In addition, many have argued that standardized testing can disadvantage groups that would otherwise succeed, such as students from a different cultural background or with learning disorders such as dyslexia or ADD/ADHD.

However, standardized testing can also bring benefits to the educational system. A standardized testing regimen can facilitate easier access to higher education, lowering the manpower and costs needed to evaluate students. Standardized testing can also remove various biases that their administrators may have, forcing teachers to judge students based on merit. Standardized testing could even help to unite the country, allowing students from as disparate regions as Mississippi and New York to learn similar curricula.

Is standardized testing a moral issue, or only a single policy-based issue? Should the federal government have the power to force states to administer standardized tests? Are standardized tests really more accurate representations of a student's success than the alternative? Do students from across the country really need a single standardized test?