You Can't Dictate Excellence

State testing, the drive to get a 30 or higher on the ACT, pushing nearly all students to attend college, and the quest to make sure everyone has the same education - as if that's even remotely possible - are harmful. They're harmful because these go called goals don't address the needs of many students and they run counter to the long history of a comprehensive public education.

The above, in an of themselves, might be fine for a certain number of students but they are by no means worthy of a huge cross section of America.

The long arc of public education in America was full of diverse points of view, an interesting group of master teachers, and curriculum programs that challenged students. It has long sought to engage students, get them to understand different points of view, question a great deal...ideas, their teachers, and their own understanding of what was taught and more.

Oh sure, we had assessments, lesson plans, final exams and more. But all of these were driven not by standardized tests, standardized or aligned curriculum or the drive to get as many to students to college as possible. They were driven by inquisitive teachers and students, driven by the need for a deeper understanding of the known and unknown, the quest to find real meaning in the material and oneself. And perhaps above all they were driven by ingenuity, creativity, and the ability to address the real needs of students as they marched on.

Thanks for reading my blog,

Dick