faulker062

I participated in discussion with a high stakes testing advocate on the Daily Kos diary: Chicago Public Schools Meltdown . Here is a portion of what I wrote after the advocate asked me for data supporting my claim that high stakes testing is a poor way to assess children. "Prove to me...that standardized testing is good for America. Last time I checked, after 30 years of standardized education and 12 years of high stakes testing, 26% of children in America are living in poverty, gap between rich and poor is the largest it has ever been, US wages have stagnated while productivity has dramatically increased and creative learning opportunities in our schools is on the decline." Standardized tests ensure that the child is central to the decision-making process, because we test the child. ManhattanMan this statement reveals a deficit in your understanding of what it takes to optimize learning experience for a group of heterogeneous learners. It also reveals you are an advocate for...

Why has there been no comprehensive investigation into Michelle Rhee's test cheating scandal and subsequent cover-up? If a comprehensive investigation is good enough for the Atlanta Public Schools, then DC under the odious  Rhee should be a prime target.  Michelle Rhee got away with taping her student's mouths shut during her first years as a teacher. After demoralizing children and staff at D.C. public schools, she is now making millions of dollars as an edushyster  collecting money from test publishing companies that would divert tax dollars away from public schools and experienced teachers  so that more money can be spent on standardized testing. David Coleman, architect of the Common Core Standards, high stakes standardized testing advocate and Bill Gates lackey says "...nobody gives a shit what you (students) feel or what you think," wants to tape children's mouths shut so they will passively comply with their mind numbing education predicated on test prep....

The top 1 percent have the means and the influence to deprive children of high quality, multi sensory,  learner centered educational experiences and create the illusion that test prep is good for your child.

The experience of standardized, data driven learning experience is dehumanizing. The process tends to dull the mind and debilitate the natural desire to learn. Consequently, children often disengage from their learning experiences as chronicled in the High School Survey of Student Engagement. Before 2001, significant numbers of American teachers were on track to utilize the latest advances in neuro-cognitive research to augment their curriculum and instruction efforts. Developing personal and socially profound learning experiences within sensory stimulating learning environments and augmenting the psycho-emotional-kinesthetic realm is a critical aspect of profound, meaningful, transformative learning experience. That idea all changed after the United States Congress passed the No Child Left Behind Act and George W. Bush signed it into law. Now teachers must focus their instructional efforts on high stakes testing, test prep and data outputs. The end result of NCLB is the micro managing...

Greetings! My name is Clyde Gaw. I am an educator concerned about the direction of American education reform.  In particular, I am concerned with the influence of powerful corporate entities, high stakes testing mandates, de-funding of public education and the affect of these initiatives on children's learning experience in the classroom. Because of  high stakes testing and larger class sizes, teachers are compelled to teach to the test. The importance of test scores in the evaluation of schools, administrators and teachers has resulted in a gradual narrowing of the curricula since the early 1990's. High stakes testing and prolonged data driven learning experience, have a negative effect on the developmental and intellectual growth of children. I have seen with my own eyes, the devastating affect data driven, Pavlovian based, standardized learning experiences have on children's psycho-emotional well being. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has aided and abetted a corporat...