Standardization vs. Professionalization

I believe the drama of the current moment in education is a conflict between two opposing forces attempting to take the country's education system in two different directions. 

On one side, you have the movement toward standardization--of curriculum, standards, assessments, teaching methods, and ultimately, students.  On this side, testing is the way forward.  It's a way to apparently control a multitude of factors that affect teaching and learning. It's a way to make teaching a simple matter of learning techniques to get results.  It implies that success looks the same for every child, that we can count on "if...then..."  scenarios to work every time, and that the arts have no value.  

The movement toward standardization means lots of money is needed to fund the creation and administration of more tests, the development of test preparation materials and stronger data tracking systems.  These endeavors add up to a booming industry funded by our tax money.  This movement also means less money and time is needed to prepare, support and retain quality, professional teachers, since most curriculum and assessment decisions are made without teacher input and creativity. 

On the other side, you have a powerful movement working to create a real teaching profession, something we've never really had, due in large part to sexism inherent in the way the teacher's job has historically been structured.  Teachers are taking on more leadership at all levels of the educational system, revealing the complexity of teaching and child development, and bridging the huge divide between the ed policy world and the classroom. Parents are speaking up about the value of their childrens' teachers and the diverse needs of their children. 

Lately there are forceful attempts by the standardization movement to take control of the professionalization of teaching, by defining great teaching as that which causes the greatest rise in student standardized test scores.  Will professionals and taxpayers allow this false idea to guide the education of America's children?  

[image credit: familyplanting.com]

 

Comments

[Bill Ferriter]

Ariel asked:

Will professionals and taxpayers allow this false idea to guide the education of America's children?

_ _ _ _ _

Remember that I'm a pessimist, Pal, but my answer to your question is, "Sadly, yes they will."

The reasons are simple: They're taxpayers and everyone is stretched for cash.

As much hyperbole as we spin around the idea of creating the kinds of schools that "prepare kids to be competitive in a poorly defined future," we still live in a world where people have to pay their bills -- and paying bills takes priority over changing schools.

#sucksbuttrue

Bill

[Ariel Sacks]

Bill, I understand your pessimism, but not sure I understand your point about paying the bills. Seems to me that tons of money is being put into the standardization movement--for making new tests each year, making practice tests, software that generates and assesses tests, software that analyzes the data, teacher data reports, test prep materials. This is a huge industry, and it's just the kind of thing teachers don't really want to do, so districts go outside the profession to gain these materials. This money could just as well be poured into teacher leadership, and a more authentic model of assessing student learning and teacher effectiveness--which would result in a better prepared citizenry upon graduating the public school system.

I believe money is not a limiting factor-except for the fact that the companies that create materials for the testing & data movement are for profit and actually generate money, whereas a teacher-led model would not. Is that what you mean about paying the bills?

[Teachinghumans]

I'm with Ariel on this. If our state and federal dollars are going to endorse standardization, why not have them enforce something better instead. The money is being spent, one way or another, anyway. Those of us advocating for a more professional approach, in which teachers are empowered and supported, feel that all of the money being thrown at getting better test scores on a test that is prelty designed and implemented would be better spent on networking and infrastructure. There are still schools without broadband internet. We have an entire workforce that needs to be retrained. We have new rules to make and new policies to consider. The internet has changed everything. And to still rely on paper-and-pencil multiple choice tests to measure learning is simply a ridiculous waste of taxpayer money in a time when we can ill afford such wastefulness. Most of what we're talking about on the professional side is free anyway. Twitter doesn't cost anything. Neither do blogs, or recording equipment, or the equivalent of your own television network on Youtube. It's all free. I truly hope that we are coming to a day in which the top-down standardization movement is rendered irrelevant by a network of educators working from ground level to learn from each other and reimagine what education now has to be in light of this most momentous moment in the availability of information and communication.