From the No NCLB.org letter:

“...consider that the amount of human knowledge is doubling every few years, and it is already so vast that no one could possibly learn even a tiny fraction of it in four or eight years in school. Consider that the knowledge that a young person will need to be a productive person and citizen over his lifetime cannot possibly be learned in advance in any period of four or eight years. THEREFORE, LOGICALLY, THE PURPOSE OF EDUCATION CANNOT POSSIBLY BE TO ACQUIRE KNOWLEDGE AT ALL, but rather to prepare students for lifelong learning.” (Emphasis added)

This is the one of the most egregious examples of false logic I have ever encountered. What better way to prepare students for “lifelong learning” than provide them with the foundational knowledge on which all the rest is and will be based?

The author proposes that the student must instead acquire

“a thirst for learning, a will to learn, the confidence that she or he can learn, and some skills in how to learn...”

but does not indicate how she or he will acquire these things differently from the historical practice of actually learning--i.e. acquiring knowledge and skills.

“And, for goodness sake, don't ''raise the bar" on MCAS testing. That would further discourage all but a SMALL, VERBALLY PROFICIENT ELITE and further drive up the already scandalously high dropout rates.” (Emphasis added)

If the verbally proficient are truly a small, elite group in this school system, the schools should be criticized for that reason rather than for teaching the content specified in the state standards and tested on the MCAS.
Garbo | 05.22.05 - 11:35 am | #