UNIFORM NATIONAL EDUCATION STANDARDS: not a good fit?

I tend to lean toward some flavor of national standards - but not a curriculum - for those subjects required to be an educated citizen (read that as voter). Jeff Jacoby argues the contrary:

[T]he very nature of American society -- a nation of 300 million that comprises a multitude of ethnic, religious, social, and ideological traditions -- argues against the imposition from above of one-size-fits-all education standards. There is no uniform answer to the question of what parents want most from their children's education.

His point (italicized above) is a worthy one. Is there, or can there be, a consensus on a minimum body of knowledge required of an American citizen to be able to effectively participate in running this country?