They already are "teaching to the test". While there were some rumbles from California teachers, they seem to have more or less accepted standardized tests. I suppose the veteran teachers won't take a lot of notice of it - unless the pressure becomes too intense. The new teachers will grow into it because it's all they know.
They tested the latest trick in California recently - exit exams. To graduate, one was required to pass the exit exam. That is until more than half failed literacy, and three quarters failed numeracy.
Your multiple choice test today is will be about 'what is the next step for the schools?'.
All your choices should involve "dumbing down'.
One doesn't need Edison to gum things up - the public schools are already good at it.
In fact, one can assume that the reason they try private firms is because of dissatisfaction with the present systems.
One recalls the problems faced by California university system. After the very best have gone to Stanford and suchlike, come the cream of the high school crop. These go into the University system where half of them (actually 48% of the freshmen) were faced with Subject A.
Subject A was the code for 'remedial reading'. Unfortunately, Subject A found its way into the newspapers, so obviously the educators had to do something - and they found a solution.
There is now no Subject A in the freshman curriculum.
Actually, remedial reading has been transferred to the English courses. Now, students can get credit for passing remedial reading.
The important thing is that an unfortunate public relations goof has been tucked under the rug.
Meantime, the illiterates and innumerates will continue to graduate from the high schools (if they can dumb down the "exit exams" enough).
You'll recall that recently American kids not only couldn't pin down the US on the global map - they couldn't find the US on a map of the US.
Could Edison do worse?
I first assumed you included free trade in the 'paragon statement' as a little uninformed dig. After all, the US has more than 8,500 tariffs and quotas, plus umpteen non-tariff barriers to imports - not exactly a free trade model.
Then I realized you were referring to the internal free trade between the states. One can imagine how balkanized the US would have become if states had been allowed to install barriers to trade.
Harry
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Brian wrote:
Hi Keith, "Crumble and despair" has been creeping into public education in many countries. But don't despair, simply look west young man and see what the paragon of wisdom, truth, virtue and free trade is doing. America the beautiful has private corporations like Edison running more and more school systems. They will cut all the fat, contract out all secretaries, caretakers(minimum wage of course) bust all evil teacher unions, use MBA managers rather than principals (head teachers)and tax payers will be happy. Scores on standardized tests(developed by other private corporations) will go up as teaching to the test will become the official curriculum. Margaret Thatcher will have accomplished her dream that she set into motion when she was Minister of Education and the entire world will be ever so more efficient.Take care, Brian > Charles Clarke, the present Minister for Education, is seriously > proposing > that head-teachers should have the power to fine parents whose > children are > skipping school. > > The proposal has only just been released this morning. It will, of > course, > die a death almost immediately because it's more than a step towards > the > sort of totalitarianism of Communist USSR or Nazi Germany but, > nevertheless, it's yet another indication of the depth of despair that > politicians in the present Labour government have about the > fast-crumbling > state education system in England. > > Keith Hudson
****************************** Harry Pollard Henry George School of LA Box 655 Tujunga CA 91042 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Tel: (818) 352-4141 Fax: (818) 353-2242 *******************************
