While I was pleased by the changes brought about by yesterday’s elections, I have no idea what the changes mean for the more specific causes that interest me. The analyses following the returns seemed to be focused on attitude, the distinction between the war in Iraq and the war on terror, and ethics. Clearly, these are significant issues that concern the public, but those elected based on such issues (and others that are significant locally) will also shape potential changes in educational policy.
I hope that NCLB will be reconsidered with an eye to those consequences that determine what happens in classrooms. I hope testing continues, but in a way that informs education in a less judgmental manner and with better insight into the circumstances faced by some teachers and some schools. I would hope that assessment would be expanded, because the present focus tends to discourage attention directed toward some content areas and the message is that such content areas are less important. How could it be a good thing that language arts and math in elementary schools receive more attention and science and social studies less simply because only certain areas are the focus of the evaluation that is used to judge schools.
I would also hope that the objectives of such testing be more carefully considered. For example, the logic of arguing that the “failings of American schools” are a concern because low performance decreases the potential for the country to compete economically can be traced to “A Nation at Risk.” The policy of holding schools responsible for the capability of all students to meet minimum standards does not necessarily follow logically from the expectation that schools develop the innovators of tomorrow. How about a substitute goal of helping all students achieve according to their potential? What about the goal of providing all students a quality education in the wide range of areas that will contribute to economic development and personal fullfillment? What about the goal of developing those with special talents who are perhaps those individuals most likely to be the innovators?
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