Note: this is the second in a series of posts on the effect of conservative & progressive values on K-12 education. Progressive values should set the ideals of teaching, and learning in American society. Unfortunately, the “cloud of authoritarianism looms over education, making it very difficult to design instruction around progressive values. We’ll refer to those who support this latter view as the “authoritarians.” In order to understand the authoritarianism that has claimed schooling...
We think that Common Standards and Assessments are the antithesis of the progressive values upon which this nation was founded. The idea of having a single set of standards and associated assessments appears to remove individuality, creativity and innovation from American classrooms. Authoritarian & Undemocratic Common standards and assessments were conceived and developed in an undemocratic and authoritarian manner, and have minimized our freedom to have an education system that empowers its citizens to...
National Assessments in mathematics, English/language arts and science are coming soon to an American school in your neighborhood. Although the national science assessments are a few years away, the national assessments in mathematics and English/language arts will begin early pilots and field testing next school year, and will be ready for full operational administration in 2014 – 2015. Is this an idea that is good for American education? For students? For parents? For Teachers? Context In a...
The Common Core State Standards are here, now what do we do? Some would suggest we should work to make them go away, or to ban high-stakes assessment. The adoption of the Common Core and the requirements set forth by NCLB Act that all students be tested from grade 3 – 12, has resulted in an authoritarian system of education, which doesn’t make sense in the American democracy. Only Texas, Nebraska, Virginia, Minnesota, and...
Educational reform desperately needs reform. Reform in education today is in the hands of Federal programs including the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, and the Race to the Top Fund of 2009. Although states can submit “flexibility requests” to receive waivers on some aspects of the NCLB, the reforms that have been affecting American schools have based everything on testing students to “measure” their achievement in math and reading, as well as...
Standards as a flag to lead us forth contrasts for me with standards as a way of standardizing our minds” Deborah Meier The Common Core State Standards have been adopted by 47 states, and school districts around the country are gearing up by spending millions of dollars on meager staff development training to indoctrinate teachers in the use of the Common Core Standards. Standards represent the dogmatism of a particular group that actually writes and...
The march to standardize and uniform the curriculum is a dangerous movement in a democratic society, and especially in one that is so diverse in cultures, languages, and geography as America. How can we really think that one set of statements of science objectives written by non-practitioners can be truly be valid for all learners, all schools, and all teachers? In today’s Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Wayne Washington and Nancy Badertscher report that “Sweeping Changes to...
