Pop Quiz
Some people are interpreting this reported gain in U.S. student math scores as a victory for central planning. The U.S. has improved on an international math test since implementation of No Child Left Behind; therefore, the thinking goes, we need more federal oversight and national standards.
I have two questions about that reasoning:
- If central planning improves math performance, why does it have no effect on science?
- If the U.S. does better in a subject as a response to competition from other countries, doesn’t that say more in favor of competition than planning? Maybe we should have a contest between states, instead of more federal directives.
You may use a calculator.
What we really need is self pride and drive to learn. We force education down pre-toddlers throats and wonder why they burn out about by the fourth and eighth grades? Competition doesn’t exist any longer we are too busy giving out participant ribbons to everyone who tried to show up to recognize those that excel. You are supposed to feel disappointed that you lost or failed at something (a lesson we are failing to teach now, but that’s another rant). That is one’s drive, one’s motivation to prepare more, work harder and reap the results. Why is it that we expect that more for our athletic programs than we do from our academic ones?
Comment by Michele Whiting — December 21, 2008 @ 8:19 p.m.