Diane Ravitch, NYU Research Professor
At last, a refreshingly honest person who admits her former advocacy for increased standardized testing, more accountability, and less fluff in the classroom as Assistant Secretary of Education under Papa Bush took us down the wrong path. An article in the June 9, 2011 edition of the St. Petersburg Times buried on the last page of the local/state/business section almost escapted my attention. I didn't immediately recognize her name, but remembered her views when I read that article. I wager that most readers still don't recognize her. You would if you had ever taught school. She helped to usher in an era of educational reform that has duped the American public into believing that standardized tests work miracles for students. Wrong!
Tom Marshall, the Times staff writer who penned the article quoted Ravitch. "Particularly in Florida, it's a disaster (referring to standardized testing in particular). What we are doing is killing creativity, originality, divergent thinking. All the things we need in the 21st century are what we're squeezing out of a generation of children." Hallelujah and amen! We already see the effects of this kind of emphasis in the automatons that serve in the Florida legislature who are products of this short-sighted method. Original thinking? I don't think so. We have dutiful robots who dare not speak out against the party to which they belong.
She referred to Florida Governor Rick Scott's policy on charter schools and vouchers indicative of a "monstrous regime aimed at expanding business opportunities in the for-profit education world." She singled him out because she was speaking to the Times editorial board, but the same indictment could be brought against the governors of Wisconsin, Michigan, and New Jersey as well. Teachers across the country are taking early retirement in droves rather than face the ridiculous nonsense heaped on them by ill-informed politicans.
Any effective teacher uses a variety ot measurements to determine student progress. Standardized tests are just one of the tools employed. Judging from the kinds of communication I receive from supposedly well-educated college graduates, I see a huge gap in teaching writing skills. No standardized test ever developed accurately measures a person's ability to write effectively, because it takes more than correct grammar and snytax to do so. The last sentence in Marshall's article leaves the reader with a chilling quote from Ms. Ravitch. "These are people (teachers) who don't come into education motivated by merit pay. Our society is disrespecting them en masse. Bravo, Ms. Ravitch! You have distilled the chaotic approach to education down to its most fundamental flaw. Disrespect. (See yesterday's post on respect.)
For more information on the subject of education in America, read Bridging Differences, a blog on Ed Week: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/Bridging-Differences/. Then, write a note or call a teacher who made a positive impact on you.
0 comments:
Post a Comment