It makes me mad that programming in the arts, languages, social studies, physical education, technical education, and even recess has been reduced for a decade in American schools and we have little to nothing to show for it. Our students are basically doing no better academically than they were doing at the start of the century.
Sarah D. Sparks noted in Education Week in 2012: Nearly a decade of America’s test-based accountability systems, from “adequate yearly progress” to high school exit exams, has shown little to no positive effect overall on learning and insufficient safeguards against gaming the system.
This means that while we have experimented on our students by imposing a program based largely on testing mania, students have not received the boost needed to the much-touted 21st century skills of creativity, collaboration, problem-solving, intercultural competence that studies in the arts, languages, tech ed, and social studies foster. Additionally, instead of striving to combat obesity and lethargy in our youth, our physically-challenged society is at risk of raising another generation of couch potatoes.
We have a tendency to jump on the latest bandwagon when it comes to addressing problems in education, and many schools stay on the bandwagon even after results are known to be inferior. Finally the testing bandwagon is showing signs of developing dangerously wobbly wheels that even the slowest of school leaders cannot help but notice - thanks to the potholes of cheating scandals and repeated reports of flatlined test scores. At this point I think we all agree we did not improve education by narrowing the curriculum in our schools to literacy and math. Will we remember this sorry story when the next education bandwagon heads our way?
The only sure way to improve education for children is to attract outstanding young people to the teaching field and then train and treat them so well they want to stay for a long time. This is the major initiative we need in education and the one we can be confident will work. With the right people in the classrooms and leading the schools excellent curriculum and methods will follow. At last we will get the result we seek - significant improvement in student learning.
I agree that we need outstanding people infused into our schools. Linda Darling-Hammond and Mclaughlin (1999) stated that the elements most critical to student achievement are teachers who know a lot about teaching and learning and who work in school environments that allow them to know their students well. Edutopia has many fine articles, videos, etc. with this great lady. I'd add that instead of relying on outside testing, we need to strengthen our formative assessment procedures and tools. We need to give teachers the tools and observation skills they need to make a case for strong portfolio assessment that guides teaching and learning.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the heart of assessment should be formative, where teachers work really carefully at assessing how individual students are doing in terms of mastery. If we keep close tabs on the understanding of students we'll be much more able to meet their needs. The trouble I have is with the sheer numbers of children ... 200 middle school students and another 100 elementary level students.
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