The Language of Education Reform
Words on websites like these have the power to brainwash the public. For starters, accountability is just another way of saying adherence to a standard.
We hold our students accountable by squishing them into a one-size-fits-all mold, while those marginalized from the “all” are, in short, left behind. Then there is the promise of higher achievement— read: higher test scores. We teachers know they are not one and the same.
In “The Words That Bind,” Kathy Emery and Susan Ohanian prove that language is perhaps our greatest competitor to educating students in meaningful ways. Nuances between crusades and crises, results and consequences, reformation and destruction are actually stark differences that have shaped the public’s view of what goes on within school walls. Emery and Ohanian cite refrains spoken by prominent political and corporate figures defending high-stakes tests as a way to improve public education. The average citizen, hearing these refrains, is quick to Tag Heuer Replica hop on board. Emery and Ohanian note that “people who haven’t set foot in a school in thirty years or more, will testify to failing public schools” and demand “school reform”. What the refrains hide from the public are the socioeconomic hurdles involved, the flaws within the existing tests, and the effects of these tests on that group that used to be a school’s first priority: its students.
This sugar-coating of hindrances to education grows increasingly dangerous. When NCLB was instated, school vouchers were called “freedom of choice.” Average Americans, who are not versed in NCLB lingo, will find these words quite attractive indeed. Who doesn’t want freedom? Who doesn’t love choices? Our nation was founded on these very principles. If NCLB called vouchers “survival of the fittest” or “every man for himself,” the public would be more apt to consider the underdog. Obama used these tactics, too, in his acceptance speech last August. While responding to teachers’ desires by promising higher pay and more support, he assured the rest of the audience he’d “ask for higher standards and more accountability” (“Barack”). We emphatically cheered— public and teachers alike—thinking, finally, someone in Washington is listening. But we must stay aware of the reality of President Obama’s reforms. How will he know schools have raised their standards? How will he hold schools Tag Heuer Replica Watches accountable? Through a measurable, high-stakes test, Of course. While reform may raise some school standards, it may also diminish real learning.
Frederick W. Smith, CEO of Federal Express, said, “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it” (qtd. in Emery and Ohanian 12). So managing student learning becomes a simple matter of focusing on testing. Higher test scores equal smarter students. Everyone is happy, right? Teachers and students are rising to meet statewide expectations, as shown formulaically and numerically—through a holistically scored picture prompt.
Processing your request, Please wait....
