The State of Education

I promised a friend of mine that my reflections would not get too political. Actually, I do not express a lot of dissatisfaction with political affairs, because, in most cases I think things are unfolding exactly as they should.

Sometimes, however, I feel compelled to share my views. Today is one such day.

I do not know the conditions in other states, but in Kansas our brilliant lawmakers have decided to distribute tax dollars to schools, based on their performance on Assessment Tests.

Schools can not survive without adequate funding. Competition for the brightest and most capable teachers is fierce. Without sufficient money, schools simply are incapable of enticing qualified talent away from the richer school districts.

So, the schools are teaching the Assessment Tests.

My daughter’s middle school added an 8th class to the curriculum this year, specifically for the purpose of shoring up demonstrated weaknesses in the Kansas Assessments. They have made 6 of the 8 classes “Core” curriculum and left only two hours optional to the students.

I have no doubt that this strategy will help the schools with their collective Assessment Scores. What I question is the effect on the children.

My daughter is in three classes which are well below her skill levels because she must take them as part of the “Core” (translation help the school score better) classes. Coming into 7th Grade, my daughter read at a college level. At the start of seventh grade, she was not required to take the reading class because of this capability, and instead she took a unique studies program which challenged her.

This year, however, she is required to be in two different reading classes and a grammar class. These are mandatory because the 8th graders last year did not score exemplary on their tests. The work in these classes does not challenge my daughter. The level of reading is below high school level (She has read at H.S. level since 5th grade) and the grammar is targeting at helping the challenged kids who are in the same class.

Caitlin scored 27 on her ACT last year in Grammar. That is good enough for any college in the nation, yet she is reviewing grammar that she learned in 4th grade, because this is where the slowest kids in the class are.

I do not have a solution to my problem. I do not have viable options that I am aware of.

I have talked with the school principle and each of Caitlin’s teachers. They all agree to give her tougher work, but most want this done in addition to the busy work she is already doing. That is hardly fair. I do not want her penalized because she is gifted.

I do not have other schools as options to me. There are a couple of private schools, but Caitlin would rather stay and deal with her frustrations than to transfer and leave all of her friends behind.

O.K. I have vented. I have also admitted that I do not have an answer to my own dilemma. My daughter will get through this, and she will not be damaged. She has a very strong drive to learn that comes from inside of her. She picks up books and reads constantly. She takes every research opportunity and delves deeper than the requirement demands. She will grow despite the schools efforts to hold her back.

What about the kids who do not have this drive. Are we not dumbing them all down by simply teaching them to take standardized tests?

Understand that I live in an outstanding school district. In fact we moved here 6 years ago because of these wonderful schools. If this district feels it is necessary to teach the tests, what is going on in the less than outstanding districts?

I hope some of you discuss this. I could use some education about the whole education process. I am concerned about the direction we are headed. If children are our future, I am thinking we need to teach them more about finding the gifts and talents within themselves and less about memorization of dead facts.

I will close with this quote from Bertrand Russell. I concur with these thoughts.

Passive acceptance of the teacher's wisdom is easy to most boys and girls. It involves no effort of independent thought, and seems rational because the teacher knows more than his pupils; it is moreover the way to win the favor of the teacher unless he is a very exceptional man. Yet the habit of passive acceptance is a disastrous one in later life. It causes men to seek a leader, and to accept as a leader whoever is established in that position.

It will be said that the joy of mental adventure must be rare, that there are few who can appreciate it, and that ordinary education can take no account of so aristocratic a good. I do not believe this. The joy of mental adventure is far commoner in the young than in grown men and women. Among children it is very common, and grows naturally out of the period of make-believe and fancy. It is rare in later life because everything is done to kill it during education.

The wish to preserve the past rather than the hope of creating the future dominates the minds of those who control the teaching of the young. Education should not aim at passive awareness of dead facts, but at an activity directed towards the world that our efforts are to create. – Bertrand Russell