A result of No Child Left Behind which should have been foreseen, but apparently was not, is the movement by some failing schools to eliminate everything except reading, math and physical education classes.
An article in today's New York Times explores this growing movement, which threatens to destroy the foundation of American education. Consider that public education began in an effort to enable American citizens to be able to participate in their government. With this new emphasis on math and reading, learning about the history of this country and how its government functions are no longer considered to be important.
When all is said and done, perhaps the U. S. will be able to compete in a global marketplace, which seems to be the goal of No Child Left Behind, but the only Americans who will be able to effectively participate in democracy will be those with wealth and privilege.
4 comments:
Garbage!!!
Spoken like a true education association (teachers' union) rank and file member. Public education is more about protecting teachers and advancing political agendas than providing the educational foundatation necessary to compete in today's global economy.
"...overemphasizing math and reading?" -- How absurd. The common language in an understanding of the dynamics of the universe and its language is mathematics. Reading and comprehension provide the basis for understanding the lessons our history and the successes and failures along the way. It provides the means to understand the great thinkers in the history of the world and the cause and effect relationships encountered in everyday life.
Give me the school system that emphasizes 'reading, riting and rithmentic'. If you can't provide that environment, give me a voucher and I'll find it myself.
I have no argument with a strong emphasis on reading and math, but not at the expense of history, government and science. You are absolutely right when you say that reading and comprehension provide the basis for understanding the lessons of history, but how are students supposed to be introduced to those lessons if not through history classes? Unfortunately, it is too much to expect in this day and age that students will want to begin reading history of their own volition. The same holds true of government, which has been one of the classes which has been given short shrift with this total emphasis on passing standardized tests. We also constantly hear about how our nation is falling behind in science. Sure, a thorough knowledge of math helps with science, but if students are not introduced to the principles of science, they are not going to magically discover them as they make their way through life. And that does not even include geography, which is almost totally deemphasized now. How can students be ready to participate in the global community if they can't even read the roadmap to get there?
When you say public education is more about protecting teachers and advancing political agendas than providing the educational foundation necessary to compete in today's global economy, I would guess you are limiting your observations to see what you see as the teachers' political agendas. While there are large teacher unions in major cities across the United States, the political agenda is only being partly guided by their interests (and I am not a rank and file member of any teacher union). Education has been used by every politician from the county to the national level as a way of scoring quick and easy points.
Good schools will continue to provide well-rounded educations. Unfortunately, there are always those who will take the shortsighted route taken by some of the schools in the article and eliminate everything except math, reading, and physical education.
And there will always be people like Terry standing and applauding as they do.
The dynamics of education begin at home, with an understanding that education mattters. It really matters.
It matters more than sports, but sports offers and promotes the TEAM concept. And loyalty. And expenditure of effort to acheive a goal. All components of a balanced childhood.
The most competent area school is head and shoulders above every other in general academic demand,and aspiration of student population. This spring look to see the colleges these kids have been accepted into. This school offers everything everyone always mentions in surveys about class room size,and quality of instruction. These students must adhere to a code of dress that will not distract, but rather comports with the job of being a student. The academic formula this school adheres to has produced top flight scholars who are attending some of the most rigorous academic institutions in this country. These kids are tomorrows leaders. They and others like them, from around this country are the people who will lead this country for the remainder of this century. From right here in Joplin. Kids you can readily identify. Kids whose parents value education and are willing to place their children into the hands of the extraordinary educators at Thomas Jefferson.
AMEN!
Why don't other schools look to this one for methods of instruction that are apparently working? Even in that school some must be a challenge to educate.
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