Teaching and Critical Pedagogy
SCHOOL
AND SOCIETY
ES 395
____________________________
"Skim, Scan, and Copy" Materials: Chapter 7
This chapter continues to delve into politics, particularly at the state and national levels. The chapter also takes a look at school violence, high-stakes testing, and the reading and math wars. Your job is to build on what we started last chapter, most notably NCLB and the role that testing plays in schools. How do tests affect kids? How do they affect boys, girls, minorities? Are they fair to all kids? What about curriculum? How do tests affect curriculum and what teachers teach? How does the idea of testing and NCLB act as forms of control over states and their schools? (Money, of course). As important, you will be asked to consider violence and schools and, as important, violence and our society.
Consider/scan/copy the following material:
- Find out if standardized tests actually work . What is being said? Explore the pro's and con's. Perhaps, check out work done by Alfie Kohn. What does he have to say abut testing ?
- What about high stakes tests ? Why are they used? Who is saying what about the tests and the connection to NCLB ? What about kids with disabilities? How can they be affected by such a test ?
- What is going on with Michigan and the MEAP results?
- E explore more fully the connection between testing, corporations , business , and profits. What are the connections ? As a Marxist, what would you say regarding the issue? How does tracking and standardized testing connect? What purposes are being served by creating an educative system that relies so heavily on testing?
- Learn more about 'Nation at Risk ' and pay particular attention to Berliner and Biddle's work regarding the debunking of the 'school failure' myth in this country, and the subsequent move to even more standardized testing of children in schools. What is the connection between this work, educational decision making, culture, and human nature?
- Get some of the course requirements/offerings from some suburban and city schools. Analyze the courses, content, curriculum, etc. What do you see, find? Perhaps, have students take a look at the offerings and decide for themselves.
- Take a look at the issue of cheating (like in New York ) on standardized tests, specific requirements of NCLB, and the backlash to high stakes tests. What is happening ? What are some of the reactions to the pressures to perform well ?
- Take a look at Texas and the connections between cheating, George Bush, NCLB. What is the story behind the story?
- What is the connection between Bush, textbooks, standardized testing and NCLB? What is the 'Texas Miracle' and why is it important to discussions of textbooks, NCLB and testing?
- On the topic of violence in schools , do some research. Remember, violence just isn't about guns. It can be about bullying , name calling, etc. Find out who is saying what, if things are better; find out if they are not. After Columbine, what has happened in schools and in society? How are kids treated differently? As important, how is violence tied to NCLB ? What is going on there? If federal money is given to schools for being less violent, do you see a potential problem? Will schools report violent acts if they risk losing money under NCLB?
- If you haven't taken the time to do so, take a look at Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine . Every teacher should.