Notes: High Standards and Cultural Diversity: Cautionary Tales of Comparative Research—A Comment on “Benchmarking Education Standards” by Lauren B. Resnick, Katherine J. Nolan, and Daniel P. Resnick

Abstract

A recent article by Resnick, Nolan, and Resnick (1995) analyzed the curriculum and examination system for mathematics in France and the Netherlands. The focus of the article was on how the two countries create and maintain “world class standards” in mathematics. However, the authors overlook the real process by which a country like the Netherlands, which has legal autonomy for individual schools, creates a national consensus around high standards for student learning. This contribution describes the formal, legal status of curriculum and examination standards and also the process by which high standards emerge and are maintained over time. Some attention is also paid to new trends in high-stakes examinations. The Dutch approach toward a balance between local autonomy and national, high standards has considerable relevance to the U.S. setting.