Noted education expert, Linda Darling-Hammond, in an interesting blog at The Forum for Education and Democracy, says, “We need to encourage our schools to teach and evaluate the higher-order thinking and performance skills that leading nations emphasize in their systems, and this requires major changes in No Child Left Behind.”
Excerpts from Linda Darling-Hammond’s blog:
- A key problem for the United States is that most of our tests aren’t measuring the kinds of 21st century skills we need students to acquire and that are at the core of curriculum and assessment in high-achieving countries.
- The United States is falling far behind other nations on every measure of educational achievement. In the latest international assessments, the United States ranked 28th out of 40 countries in math – on par with Latvia – 20th in science, and 19th in reading, even further behind than a few years ago. In addition, these other countries surpass us in graduation rates and, over the last decade, in higher education participation as well.
- Although 60 percent of our high school graduates go off to college, only half of these are well-enough prepared to graduate with a degree – far too few for the knowledge economy we now operate. So, while our own youth are often unprepared for modern employment, Silicon Valley lobbies for more H-1B visas to bring in skilled workers to fill high-tech jobs.
- Our multiple-choice tests – which focus the curriculum on low-level skills – are helping us to fall further and further behind. Another part of the problem is that the standards used to guide teaching in many states are a mile wide and an inch deep: Most high-achieving countries teach (and test) fewer topics each year and teach them more thoroughly so students build a stronger foundation for their learning.
- Whereas students in most parts of the United States are typically asked simply to recognize a single fact they have memorized from a list of answers, students in high-achieving countries are asked to apply their knowledge in the ways that writers, mathematicians, historians and scientists do.
- Students in other countries also complete required assessments like lab experiments and research papers that help evaluate student learning in the classroom. These assessments, which together count at least half the total examination score, allow the testing of complex skills that cannot be measured in a two-hour test on a single day. They ensure that students receive stronger learning opportunities. And they give teachers timely information they need to help students improve – something that standardized tests that produce scores several months later cannot do. These assessments in other nations are not used to rank or punish schools, or to deny promotion or graduation to students. (In fact, several countries have explicit proscriptions against such practices.) They are used to evaluate curricula and guide professional learning – in short, to help schools improve.
- By asking students to show what they know through real-world applications of knowledge, these other nations’ assessment systems promote serious intellectual work that is discouraged in U.S. schools by the tests many states have adopted under No Child Left Behind.
- Studies confirm that as teaching looks more like testing, U.S. students are doing less writing, less science, less history, reading fewer books, and even using computers less in states that will not allow their use on standardized tests.
From Linda Darling-Hammond’s article: No Child Left Behind: Changing the Way We Think About Learning
Great post Mike-
Our school year is also much shorter, as is our learning day.
Lack of universal health care- means our students are also apt to miss more school days- and suffer from many more ailments. The US is quickly becoming a third world country- see interesting comments from abroad here: http://esrati.com/?p=354
We’ve lost all track of what the word “Investment” means. What used to be a long term financial tool- is now summed up by quarterly earnings reports, day-trading and program trading with huge fluctuations in the stock market.
We have to redefine the word INVESTMENT to mean “a long term strategy for improved results” before we’ll see any progress in this country.
David, The blog you refer to shows a good discussion that I found very interesting. Thanks for pointing it out.
We are still suffering from Reagan’s “Get Government Off Our Back” movement. If we are becoming a third world country, as you say, it is because our democracy is failing us. A government that was of the people, by the people, would never allow the US to slide as it has. Our political system has been hijacked by big money, big corporations and both major parties are to blame for allowing a political class to gain undeserved power.
I’ve been thinking about the Democratic Presidential Primary. Democrats now have a big decision to make as to who should be their presidential candidate. We need to move into a new era. We need new politics. We need a new vision for America. How in the world can we think that Hillary Clinton is the right choice to help lead us into the new era that we need? Regardless of her positive qualities, I don’t like the fact that what propels Hillary Clinton is her connection to power. It is a third world system of government where sons of presidents and wives of presidents are elevated to power. if Hillary is chosen the presidential nominee for the Democrats, I feel it would be a disaster for the Democratic Party, but even more, a disaster for our country.
We need to enter a new era and Hillary is too tied to the old era. Bush – Clinton – Bush – Clinton? Pleeese, no. I am thinking that if I were to ask, right now, who to choose as the Democratic candidate for president, I would choose Barack Obama. I think Obama would have the best chance to sweep away a lot of the debris, the garbage, the negative into the dustbin of history where it belongs — and would have the best chance to start a new era, a new beginning.
She has paid her dues in NY and in spite of the rhetoric will be more Bush like than the Obama. She is an establishment candidate. The establishment – How is tha working out for US?
Barak Obama vs Ron Paul and America is the winner.
However, I would contend that either candidate would have trouble implementing any reform against the establishment. They would trade American progress rather than work with the elected.
I just heard a bit of the NPR democratic candidate debate yesterday- and frankly, our man from Cleveland, Dennis Kucinich sounded pretty strong on a lot of the issues. Not wishy washy- with a clear vision of the globe as an interconnected and interdependent ecosystem.
Obama always sounded more responsive- instead of crafty when compared with Clinton- who tried to manipulate every answer.
Richardson, unfortunately, wasn’t there.
Dennis Kucinich is the ONLY candidate from either party with a clear vision of what is at stake in this election.
He was against the war BEFORE it started
He has a plan to establish a Department of PEACE
He voted AGAINST the Patriot act…because, as he said ” I read it.”
He has a Bill in the House to impeach VP Cheney
He does not Obfuscate OR Triangulate…
On 11/9 I posted this article :Dennis Kucinich, Dragon Slayer, For President, Oh, and Impeach Dick Cheney too…@ http://leftofdayton.wordpress.com/2007/11/09/dennis-kucinich-dragon-slayer-for-president-oh-and-impeach-dick-cheney-too/
This is the Link to Kucinch for President Campaign home page:
http://www.dennis4president.com/home/
There is not a lot to disagree with in the post. We must remember how degraded American education has become. NCLB and other state laws governing testing were in response to that. We need to have our students know the facts in math, science, English, etc. before we can be concerned about higher level thinking skills. We have a long way to go before we rest.