by NYC Private Schools on January 23, 2010
Passing state standardized tests is one of the freedoms that Private Schools are able to benefit from. The benefit is not in the absence of testing, but in the ability to educate students beyond the boundaries of “teaching to the test.”
For many public schools, teachers are faced with the following dilemma. No matter how well a student is learning or how advanced their critical thinking skills, if they have not seen a question posed in a certain way and know the way to answer it, they will have a difficult time on the standardized testing. Schools with a percentage of students who do not pass the test have funds withheld until the acceptable amount of students pass. No money means no school. Standardized tests, beginning in the middle years, are such a focus in schools because the school itself needs students to pass.
Are students the better for this? Is there education richer or more robust? Are they developing critical thinking skills and reasoning, or the ability to take a particular test well? These are the arguments discussed with Standardized Testing.
In a recent Huffington Post article, the focal importance of standardized tests in the U.S. and beyond was discussed:
We argue about testing in the US, but the focus on and stakes related to testing is much higher in China and India where the tip of the human funnel is the 12th grade exam; to a large life options hang in the balance. In the US, there are lots of options and second chances; not so in India and China. As a result, the singular secondary focus is marks leading to success on the exit exam.
Students sat in rows quietly plowing through workbooks while teachers sat at their desk. It was among the most stifling middle grade programs I’ve ever seen.
The Head of School spoke to the constant ‘rigor v relevance’ dilemma, but said test scores easily tipped the scale.
It is difficult enough to comprehend the consequences of a school body under-performing on a standardized test. It is more difficult still to comprehend the consequences of a student who has had the freedom of true learning put aside to focus on test-taking skills. It is even more difficult to comprehend the consequences of one test determining an entire future. For many, however, that is a reality.
by NYC Private Schools on November 18, 2009
The War on Kids, the 2009 winner of Best Educational Film by the New York Independent Film and Video Festival, opens today in Manhattan.
Blame for problems with schooling in America is often assigned to insufficient funding or the inherent failings of today’s kids. In rare cases, parents, teachers, and administrators are also implicated. However, all efforts to improve the quality of education are doomed to fail if the system itself is not examined and understood to be the most significant impediment. After over six years in the making, THE WAR ON KIDS reveals that the problems with public education ultimately stem from the institution itself. Astonishingly all efforts at reform consistently avoid even considering this to be a possibility and the future for children and American democracy are at stake.
This film exposes the many ways the public school system has failed children and our future by robbing students of all freedoms due largely to irrational fears. Children are subjected to endure prison-like security, arbitrary punishments, and pharmacological abuse through the forced prescription of dangerous drugs. Even with these measures, schools not only fail to educate students, but the drive to teach has become secondary to the need to control children.
School children are interviewed as are high school teachers and administrators, as well as prison security guards, plus renowned educators and authors including:
- Henry Giroux: Author of Stealing Innocence: Corporate Culture’s War on Children
- Mike A. Males: Sociologist, author of Scapegoat Generation
- John Gatto: New York City and New York State Teacher of the Year
- Judith Browne: Associate Director of the Advancement Project
- Dan Losen: The Civil Rights Project, Harvard University
- Dr. Peter Breggin: Author, Toxic Psychiatry, Talking Back To Prozac
A few of the reviews of the documentary:
The New York Times
Education World
KidCity
Political Film Society
Where to see the film:
November 18-24th
Quad Cinema
34 West 13th Street
New York, NY
Fees: $11.00 for adults, $8.00 for children and senior citizens
Here is a CBS news report on corporal punishment in schools, which is legal in 21 states:
Interestingly, The Courthouse News Service, also just released a an article entitled, Watchdog Wants Info on Police Use of Force Against Schoolkids
Police in Texas public schools are increasingly using force against children, including Tasers and pepper spray, and the “overwhelming majority” of police “interventions” involve “low-level, non-violent misdemeanors like disruption of class or disorderly conduct,” a public interest group says.
Here is the link to the lawsuit.
We would love to hear your thoughts and reactions to this documentary in our comments section.
Loading ...