School Wars: Revenge of the Blob

“WHEN I first heard about outcome-based education through my son’s high school, I was excited,” says Alan Klaus of North Kansas City. “Finally they were talking about setting some standards. But the more I learned about it, the more concerned I became …. OBE is just not what it seems to be.” Appointed by the Missouri Board of Education to a citizens’ oversight committee, Mr. Klaus eventually co-wrote a report blasting the reforms he had initially welcomed.

Mr. Klaus’s experience is not unique. More than thirty states have dabbled with some form of outcome-based education, and parents around the country have discovered that, despite its name, OBE has little to do with raising academic standards. Instead, it replaces existing standards with vague, often psychotherapeutic goals. These new goals become the criteria for assessing students, teachers, and schools.

About the Author

Ramesh Ponnuru

Ramesh Ponnuru is the editor of National Review, a columnist for the Washington Post, and a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

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“WHEN I first heard about outcome-based education through my son’s high school, I was excited,” says Alan Klaus of North Kansas City. “Finally they were talking about setting some standards. But the more I learned about it, the more concerned I became …. OBE is just not what it seems to be.” Appointed by the Missouri Board of Education to a citizens’ oversight committee, Mr. Klaus eventually co-wrote a report blasting the reforms he had initially welcomed.

Mr. Klaus’s experience is not unique. More than thirty states have dabbled with some form of outcome-based education, and parents around the country have discovered that, despite its name, OBE has little to do with raising academic standards. Instead, it replaces existing standards with vague, often psychotherapeutic goals. These new goals become the criteria for assessing students, teachers, and schools.