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| Re: OP-ED: What Americans keep ignoring about Finland's school success (895435) | |||
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Re: OP-ED: What Americans keep ignoring about Finland's school success |
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Posted by Concourse Express on Wed Jan 4 22:08:31 2012, in response to Re: OP-ED: What Americans keep ignoring about Finland's school success, posted by 3-9 on Wed Jan 4 21:40:03 2012. Simply raising the standards and simultaneously abandoning the system for measuring if progress is being made isn't going to work.Here now, I only said that excessive focus on standardized testing should be abandoned, not that there should be no barometer to measure progress. And I maintain this position - excessive focus on testing results in stripped curricula that ill prepares our students. While I'd retain some testing, standards must be raised, and curricula must contain more depth than "reading, writing, and 'rithmetic." More in-depth lessons. Sciences. Labs. The arts. Extracurricular activities. Opportunities to be creative, as opposed to the current rudimentary setup. Teachers can then say (again) an 'A' is whatever they want. IMO, you have to start with the teachers and principals and their work environment. I agree. Problem here is the focus on testing is a by-product of "No Child Left Behind (NCLB)," a federal policy. When grades and even teaching positions and pay are predicated on test results and little else, there exists the temptation to "cheat" the system (as evidenced by several cheating scandals). Giving them better pay/bennies is one thing, but so is making teaching a worthwhile profession again. At the same time, the principals have to be able to manage them (including firing them if the teacher is bad). And how do we make teaching "a worthwhile profession" while problems such as stripped curricula, overcrowded classrooms, and rambunctious students remain unsolved? Worse still, some of these issues are outside of the teachers' control. Even better pay and benefits (which I support) wouldn't mean much if teachers aren't allowed to expand curricula beyond that needed to ace a damn test. I agree that principals should ensure that teachers are doing their jobs properly and efficiently, but if we're gonna measure merit, let's look at how much students are learning and understanding/successfully applying (i.e. in later courses) as opposed to solely what they score on an exam. To top it off, you have to enforce respect and authority, which is a herculean task in schools full of kids who are brought up to hate authority. Lastly, the teacher/administration setup is probably such a mess, what with the red tape and threats of litigation, it's no wonder education is the way it is. I definitely agree. Reform is needed at all levels of the education system. I honestly think teachers (specifically the ones who are trying their best to educate our nation's students) are getting too much flack for this situation, even for the parts of it beyond their control. my blog |
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