Union-busting NCLB turns nation's public schools into 'no-think zones'

[Joanne98]

DILLINGHAM - In January 2002, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) was signed into law by President George W. Bush. This federal mandate enforces standards-based education reform centered on high student academic standards. So far so good.


Unfortunately, these standards are measured by standardized testing, which consist of a series of questions (often multiple-choice) generated for entire groups of students. Educational officials estimate that 100 million or more of these tests are administered to students across the United Sates every year.

NCLB requires that every child’s public school academic performance from grades 3rd through 12th be measured by standardized tests. These mandates place enormous pressure on teachers to raise test scores. As a result, the academic curriculum in schools nationwide has largely shifted primarily to the skills being measured on these standardized tests.

As a result, I believe public schools are neglecting many of the time-honored learning experiences long considered staples of a well-educated person. In their place comes so-called "education" presented in a way many people believe harms, rather than helps, true student learning. Fortunately, alternatives to the homogenization of standardized testing to measure learning are gaining support among educators across the United States, but NCLB is little help.

Most standardized tests typically focus only on reading, writing, and mathematical skills; consequently, these areas receive special attention in public schools. In 2007, for example, 62 percent of schools in the United States reported increased class time spent on English language arts and math, with 72 percent of schools cutting back on time spent on science, social studies, art, music, and physical education, according to the Center on Educational Policy in Washington, DC. With English and math becoming public schools’ main curricular focus in recent years, this narrow approach has acquired a new name. It called "teaching to the test."

http://alaskareport.com/news1208/x61848_alyssa_roy.htm

[aikoaiko]

1. It sure would be nice if college freshmen could read, write, and do math

I don't have any answers, but I am more convinced then ever that kids need to learn the basics like reading, writing, and math and the memorization of facts so that they can think better.

:shrug:

[Fumesucker]

3. I'm not sure that memorizing facts helps you think better..

It may give you more to think about but critical thinking is a specific skill which has very little to do with how many "facts" you have memorized.

In my mind at least memorization is the anti-thinking.

[aikoaiko]

7. I find that when you don't know facts its more difficult to think critically.

Memorization is useful because it allows someone to ponder the relations between things.

Sure one can looks things up, but I find that unless people know things (facts, ideas, theories, etc) its really difficult for them to think about things.

The goal, from my perspective, is to produce critical thinkers, but without a good base of knowledge, I find college students just ask uninformed questions.

I liken critical thinking to improvisational jazz. To be great at improvisation, you have to drill, drill, drill, and learn music theory, music theory, music theory (credit due to Dizzy G).

[Fumesucker]

8. I'm very poor at rote memorization..

On the other hand if I *understand* something I remember it very well and even if I forget it is often possible to figure out what it is I have forgotten just by going back to my understanding of first principles.

There is considerable difference between memorizing things and understanding them.

It is understanding which allows for critical thinking, not memorization.

Knowledge and critical thinking go hand in hand, you can't have one without the other but if you do not understand that which you supposedly "know" you really can't relate it to other knowledge.

The "why" of things is at least as important as the "what".

[annabanana]

4. It sure would be nice if they understood a little history, so they

could know WHY they should be able to read, write & do math.....

[knitter4democracy]

2. Teachers have been saying this for years.

I've seen it myself, especially when I taught in Ohio and had to deal with the 9th grade proficiency test. I had great writers flunk the writing section because they were too good and too creative in their answer. These tests don't test creativity or critical thought--just rote crap the kids memorize and then promptly forget after the test. It's very disturbing.

[riley3]

5. NCLB was invented to destroy public education in America. Jeb Bush even said

that he would continue with their devious (his word) plan to destroy education despite teachers' protests. Now as a reward he is being tagged as the next Florida senator. SAD!

[Joanne98]

6. I know. We have to stop that at all costs! NO MORE BUSHES!

[roody]

9. All multiple choice.