Essay topic: A nation should require all of its students to study the same national curriculum until they enter college.

Every child in this nation has inherent rights to equal opportunity. If I have a 4.0 GPA from a inner-city Cleveland high school, I should have the same chance of getting into a top-notched college as the another applicant who has a 4.0 gpa from a suburban high school.Unfortunately, in real life, the applicant from suburban high school will have a higher chance of being accepted. Colleges knows there is a difference between the curriculum in a suburban high school and the curriculum in a inner-city high school. A suburban high school might develop a well-rounded curriculum where every aspects of math, literacy, science, and social studies are met while the inner-city high school develops a curriculum where only the minimum is met. The difference in curriculum is met with a difference in opportunity. Establishing a national curriculum will establish equal education for every child and improve problematic areas in teaching.

To solve or mediate this difference in opportunity for students in public education, a national curriculum can be established. A national curriculum will be required to be taught from first through twelfth grade for every child in public education. The "No Child Left Behind Act" signed by President Bush in 2000 was a key to establish a public education so no child would be left behind. The act was aimed towards school districts and educators to establish a curriculum where standards were met in literacy, math, science, and social studies. To meet the standards, every educator would have to teach students the same curriculum. No matter if you were in a suburban school or inner city school, students will be the taught the same subject and information. Therefore, when apply to college, a high school graduate with an "A" in government will have been taught the same government curriculum as the high school graduate from a inner-city school.

Furthermore, a national education will improve problematic areas in how educators teach. For example, educators has difficulty teaching a particular math concept to students, educators can compare how another school district successfully teaches the same math concept and apply the teaching method to his or hers classroom. If school district have different curriculum, educators would not be able to compare and learn from each other. Just like, all fourth graders in Roxbury Elementary have to learn about the six simple machines, all fourth graders in the nation have to learn about the six simple machines.

Although a national curriculum is important, it should not be the sole focus in the student's academic life. There has to be times where educators can teach students without set standards and curriculum. Students would feel bounded to learn and memorize the national curriculum and forget about elective knowledge. Elective knowledge provides opportunity to utilize their strength and creative ideas.

Education is the key for our success.We learn and accumulate knowledge in classrooms which we are able to apply to the real world. There has been many debates on what students should be learning in schools. One side of the debates wants to have a national curriculum for students in kindergarten through twelfth grade, another side wants educators to without a national curriculum. I believe a national curriculum should be implemented to every school in the nation to establish equal education for every child and improve problematic areas but it should allow educators to create a harmonious environment for students to learn about the world.