The biggest problem, however, with these studies is their singular focus on test scores. It's certainly true that tests are the bread and butter of k-12 education. But most of what we want our children to learn in school is not about how to take tests but how to learn how to learn, how to think for themselves, about the values of being human in a diverse and complex world, about connections to past incarnations of the human, and how to express themselves well. Little of that is testable.
I don't think a focus on test scores is a problem. After our schools are successful at teaching the basics (which can be tested) they can then aspire to teach the more qualitative things you describe. Give parents an either or choice of whether they want their school to focus on A) math, or B) how to think for yourself, methinks parents are going to request A.
Ideally a school will teach both, but if they can't get the basics right you've gotta figure they're failing at the hard stuff as well. If a student can't learn math, how are they going to "learn how to learn"?
A school which claims to deliver a graduating class of students who value being a human being, appreciate diversity, and are able to express themselves (presumably verbally), yet unable to do math well or write English properly, hasn't done a very good job.
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Errr, what's a "a connection to past incarnations of the human"? |
