When first introduced, the Bush education plan had 2 main features: vouchers and standardized tests--both in the name of "accountability." The vouchers were never never given much of a chance, and they're gone. But a bipartisan consensus has embraced testing--
without, of course, providing for standardized school funding, small class sizes, up-to-date books & equipment, etc. By standardizing expectations, but not resources, and penalizing those who fall short, the plan effectively punishes the victims of current inequalities by treating them even more
unequally.
The Bush model is flawed at the core, as the evidence from Texas-ignored by corporate media-clearly shows.
The Educational Costs Of Standardization. by Rice University professor of education Linda McNeil, is a must-read dissection of how standardization makes children pay for the sake of grown-ups' appearances.
In
Bamboozled by the Texas Miracle, Teddi Beam-Conroy, a San Antonio teacher, offers a first-hand account of what standardized tests have
really done to education in Texas.
Bush's Secretary of Education Gets An "F" zeroes in on the failings of Houston's schools under the man Bush chose to exemplify his approach to education. And, of course,
Bush & other politicians were mediocre students at best.
The destructive dynamic of standardized testing is best explained by the activist organization
Fair Test. A good summaty appears in their
Fact Sheet: Will More Testing Improve Schools? while related articles, op-eds, etc. can be found at their
"Response to the Federally Mandated Testing Plan"
Rethinking Schools, a progressive, social justice-oriented educational journal, has excellent coverage of issues around testing.
The Straightjacket of Standardized Testsis a passionately personal view of what tests can't comprehend.
Alternatives to Standardized Tests was part of the
Spring 1999 issue highlighting standardized tests.
The
Spummer 2001 issue also highlights problems with the assumptions behind Bush's agenda, including
Race and the Achievement Gap,
Resisting High-Stakes Tests, and
Ohio Teachers Give Tests an 'F', among others.
[
Fair Test |
Rethinking Schools ]
