As for state-to-state alignment, the current situation
is chaotic. Although discussion about establishing
some kind of national standards framework
is gaining momentum, there is no common set of
standards at present. Consequently, publishers
competing in the marketplace try to develop curriculum
and textbooks that address the standards
of all the states. Then teachers feel compelled to
cover this large array of topics, teaching each only
briefly and often superficially. When such curriculum
and materials are in use, children move
through the grades encountering a given topic in
grade after grade—but only shallowly each time—
rather than getting depth and focus on a smaller
number of key learning goals and being able to
master these before moving on.33