Yesterday's news was unfortunate for those of us concerned with our children's future...
It’s unfortunate that President Obama is stuck in the 20th century. Any education policy that measures success with a test is doomed to failure. There is a large body of research indicating that the problems we face in the 21st century require new ideas, new skills, and new perspectives.
We are more than a decade into the NCLB age. I have seen evidence that the drop out rate has risen during this age. I have seen evidence that the tests and the curriculum and instruction common in schools are not connected. I have seen evidence that the standardized curriculum developed in response to NCLB ignore the needs and characteristics of diverse populations. I have seen evidence that students’ opportunity to read what interests them has eroded during this age. I have not seen any evidence that students who performed well on the tests administered under the auspices o NCLB have performed any better in college (or in trade schools or any other endeavor they choose to enter).
The mantra of the NCLB advocates has been “data driven” or “research-based” reform. It sure seems to me that the data is clear, and if we are to reform schools for the 21st century (which I believe we need to do), then the direction for the reform cannot be from outdated practices and assumptions. It also has to be truly data driven and thus more flexible.
The instructional spaces we create need to be technologically-rich and places where students engage in solving authentic problems. Preparing students for their future requires they get experience dealing with complex issues and answering unsolvable problems, not answering simple questions on a test created by out-of-touch adults.
We are more than a decade into the NCLB age. I have seen evidence that the drop out rate has risen during this age. I have seen evidence that the tests and the curriculum and instruction common in schools are not connected. I have seen evidence that the standardized curriculum developed in response to NCLB ignore the needs and characteristics of diverse populations. I have seen evidence that students’ opportunity to read what interests them has eroded during this age. I have not seen any evidence that students who performed well on the tests administered under the auspices o NCLB have performed any better in college (or in trade schools or any other endeavor they choose to enter).
The mantra of the NCLB advocates has been “data driven” or “research-based” reform. It sure seems to me that the data is clear, and if we are to reform schools for the 21st century (which I believe we need to do), then the direction for the reform cannot be from outdated practices and assumptions. It also has to be truly data driven and thus more flexible.
The instructional spaces we create need to be technologically-rich and places where students engage in solving authentic problems. Preparing students for their future requires they get experience dealing with complex issues and answering unsolvable problems, not answering simple questions on a test created by out-of-touch adults.
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