Preview

Diane Ravitch's The Essentials Of A Good Education

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
258 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Diane Ravitch's The Essentials Of A Good Education
The school administration relies too much on the test scores and GPA of their students to determine their abilities in school, instead of finding the value of them as an individual and what they can achieve in other areas. The word “education” means more than just teaching students every day and testing them to see the growth of learning; it means teaching students what they need to be successful in a future career and how to be a member of society, which signifies that there is more to judge a student off of than just numbers and grades. According to an article by Diane Ravitch, titled “The Essentials of a Good Education”, the people that create school policies have the idea that getting high test scores in subjects such as reading and
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Benjamin Barber's School Summary
    • 800 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Benjamin Barber's School Summary

    is trite: monkey see, monkey do. Ravitch reaches out to a different audience through her…

    • 800 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    ENC 1101 Argumentation Essay
    • 1064 Words
    • 4 Pages

    ENC 1101 Argumentation Essay

    being centered on raising a standardized test score: schools are putting too much emphasis on…

    • 1064 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    HIGH STAKE TESTING EDUC606 TANIA MIAN
    • 710 Words
    • 2 Pages

    HIGH STAKE TESTING EDUC606 TANIA MIAN

    Since the early 60’s varying attempts have been made to improve the education system of America. After the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law was passed in 2002, all students in public schools started to get tested and the results were used to measure the success of the school and district. “High-stakes testing, by its very definition, is the most extreme form of testing, for it results in the most direct, far-reaching set of consequences for the test taker. Thus, high-stakes testing bears great significance for human achievements, individual lives and educational practices alike ” (Ydesen, p, 98, 2014). A state-wide or national standardized test is usually used for this form of testing. Today the main purpose for high-stakes testing is to evaluate the schools, teachers, and students and to hold them accountable for the education being provided and learned. Over 25 states use the results of these tests to make decisions regarding the education system. If the results are found to be positive and/or showing improvements the schools are rewarded financially, but if the results are negative, showing a lack of improvement, the schools could be closed down. (Ydeses, 2014)…

    • 710 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Rhetorical Rant: Education System
    • 426 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Rhetorical Rant: Education System

    In Kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, high school and university, millions of students are herded through the same education system independent of their differing levels of intelligence and skills. The limited funds put into the education system are spent on providing a generalized education, which is geared towards moving everyone through the system that inevitably hurts both the academically and non-academically oriented. Some argue that America’s education system is based far too much on standardized testing, allowing others to determine their academic strengths and weaknesses. But the issue is that every year students go through standardized testing, are told their results and then the system simply continues with business as usual. A system where students are placed in separate schools based on their interests, intelligence, and abilities is highly discouraged in most of the country because everyone wants to believe that they are above average.…

    • 426 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    The Pros And Cons Of Standardized Testing In Schools
    • 1488 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The Pros And Cons Of Standardized Testing In Schools

    When going to school students are supposed to learn based off a curriculum, but instead they are learning based off a test. These test are meant to help students, but instead they are hurting them. Standardized test requires all test takers to answer the same questions, or a selection of questions from common bank of questions, in the same way. Also they are scored in a “standard” or consistent manner, which makes it possible to compare the relative performance of individual students or groups of students. Each state has a different name for their standardized test, for Virginia they call theirs the Standards Of Learning, SOL’s. These test are neither fair nor objective, puts pressure on the students, and it cuts off time in the school year.…

    • 1488 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Federal Involvement In Schools Pros And Cons
    • 448 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Federal Involvement In Schools Pros And Cons

    If we make learning meaningful and align it with the standards, then the tests would not be the horrific nightmare they are for some children. Children have breakdowns about not doing well on the high-stakes tests. Students should not feel this way in school. The classroom should be a comfortable place where learning grows, not a drill practice on facts for a federal…

    • 448 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Analysis Of America Skips School By Benjamin R. Barber
    • 822 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Analysis Of America Skips School By Benjamin R. Barber

    Educational programs demand effort and dedication to be successful. Barber expresses his concern for the lack of literacy in America. In Barbers essay, he states, “As America’s educational system crumbles, the pundits, instead of looking for solutions, search busily for scapegoats” (Barber, 2014, pp.210). America’s government takes minimal actions toward the educational crisis. The situation resembles a hole in the wall that needs fixed, but instead of fixing it America’s society hangs a picture over the hole. The lack of educational reforms causes the America’s youth to fall behind other countries youth in literacy. The lack of effort from the government, from schools, parents, teachers, and students put a strain on learning. Some American citizens proclaim that they want a change in the school systems, but nothing results from it. Barber states, “With all the goodwill in the world, it is still hard to know how schools can cure the ills that stem from the failure of so many other institutions. Saying we want education to come first won’t put it first” (Barber, 2014, pp.217). Society labels schools as “prisons,” and sadly, some are less safe than actual prisons. The lack of safety forces students to focus on their own safety rather than learning. Not all schools provide safe environments for students; The result of this problem is conflicts and disinterest for learning. The lack of effort put forth by America’s society and government is only one factor in this multitude of…

    • 822 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    The Harmful Effects of No Child Left Behind
    • 1427 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The Harmful Effects of No Child Left Behind

    No Child Left Behind was designed by the Bush administration to reduce the "learning gap" between different groups of students and to ensure better teacher equality. However, it sets fourth a method of measuring "Adequate Yearly Progress" which aims at 100% proficiency in 10 years time (from the start of the program) (Wood 4). These impossibly high standards cause greater harm than good. One adverse effect of these high standards is that they substantially weaken the safety nets for under-performing students in the nation's schools. As schools struggle to meet the act's impossibly high goals, many incentives to keep underperforming students out, or to hold those already in the school back present themselves. A disturbing example of this comes from King Middle School in Ohio. At this school the average scores increased from the 70th to the 72nd percentile from the 2002 to the 2003 school…

    • 1427 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    High Stakes Test
    • 565 Words
    • 3 Pages

    High Stakes Test

    These tests have also shown that teachers usually “teach to the test”. Since these tests promote assessment of learning compared to assessment for learning, they differ dramatically from the normal school curriculum. The best argument against the use of these tests though is that grade withholding has continually been proven to be counterproductive. Students who are held back suffer a loss of interest and self-esteem and are more likely to drop out of school. Studies have even shown that graduation tests lead to a higher drop out rate for students that are low achievers in school, while they do not produce improved…

    • 565 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    An Argument on Standardized Testing
    • 840 Words
    • 4 Pages

    An Argument on Standardized Testing

    Within every student is an unfathomable amount of details that make him or her think and act the way they do. Their intellectual level cannot, and should not, be based entirely on one high-stakes test at the term’s end. In agreement with this is professor of education and public policy, George Madaus. According to him, these tests “leave out one of the most informational things we have about these kids, and that’s teacher judgements.” This statement is a perfect example of the faults high-stakes testing has. Measures of achievement hold more substance than a simple arithmetic test can provide. Personality traits, moral development, the infinite complexities we have, these can only be judged by human interaction.…

    • 840 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Standardized Testing Persuasive Essay
    • 1284 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Standardized Testing Persuasive Essay

    Not all students will be able to comprehend and/or learn concepts as well as others. Standardized tests do not portray real-life skills. Teachers are straying from actually doing what they can to help students explore their brain’s full potential and focusing on overachieving competitors’ test scores. Schools need to focus on each individual and their natural born skills, harvest them, and allow them to grow and unravel for them to succeed in whatever field of work they choose to…

    • 1284 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Benefits Of Standardized Testing
    • 861 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Benefits Of Standardized Testing

    Elementary students had begun taking standardized tests, the tests ranked teachers in grades 3-5 accordingly. Any person is able to see the “value-added performance” (Kuehn, Larry). Anxiety led to devastating occurrences; “One teacher, distressed by being singled out, committed suicide days after the individual teacher results were released” (Kuehn, Larry). The government did not take this incident seriously, even though they attempted to think about the issues, the final answer was “test better” (Kuehn, Larry). The tests are not accurate, voluminous students do not take the test completely and honestly; those students tend to lower the teacher’s ranking. A teacher can never actually make students try their hardest on the standardized tests; the students must put forth the effort in order for all scores and teacher’s rankings to be a reflection of their…

    • 861 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Standardized Test Improving Education in America
    • 570 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Standardized Test Improving Education in America

    The use of standardized tests became very popular after the No Child Left behind Act (NCLB) was passed in 2001. The NCLB required yearly testing starting in the 3rd grade, in all 50 states. US students fell from 18th in the world in math in 2000 to 31st in 2009, with a similar drop in science and we haven’t had any changes in reading. One argument is that standardized tests are a fair and measure the ability of students, they make sure teachers and schools are held responsible for the performance of students. Others say the tests are not fair, the test narrow curriculum "teaching to the test," and that unnecessary testing doesn’t help produce innovators and critical thinkers. Many of these assessments result in significant consequences for students, teachers and schools. Low scores can prevent a student from progressing to the next grade, teachers getting fired, and schools closing. While high scores will get schools federal and local funding, and are used to reward teachers and administrators with bonus payments.…

    • 570 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Common Core Standards
    • 698 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Common Core Standards

    Today the federal government has taken a role as a promoter of educational opportunity to students with numerous disadvantages. These disadvantages range from poverty to discrimination based on race and sex, to special education needs or even language barriers (Umpstead, 2008). Funds are supplied by the federal government for specific programs to improve educational quality; however, there may not be enough funds to cover all that is needed to make improvements. This is the controversial debate over the No Child Left Behind Act (2001). This act assisted in setting priorities when it came to education, but the accountability measures made it difficult to “use assessments as levers for good practices” (Phillips & Wong, p.38). The Common Core Standards, developed by the education team at the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, is an education initiative that follows the basis of standards-based education. The purpose is to provide a clear and consistent understanding of what students are expected to learn. College ready is the goal. With this, parents and teachers know exactly what they need to do to help students succeed. It will allow states to work from the same core and share with one another not only what works, but also how best to teach the core.…

    • 698 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Standardized Testing Argument Essay
    • 743 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Standardized Testing Argument Essay

    Michelle Obama once declared, “If my future were determined just by my performance on a standardized test, I wouldn't be here. I guarantee you that.” If our first lady of the United States of America can be stating that she would have not been successful if she took standardized testing, then why do we base all of our students success on their test scores? Diane Ravitch, one of the major contributors to the No Child Left Behind Act, was once a supporter of standardized testing and believed it could improve public schools. After seeing standardized testing put into place she has now come to the conclusion, the negative impact of high stakes testing and other reforms in the NCLB act. High stakes testing, accountability, and choice involved with the No Child Left Behind Act have hindered American public schools instead of improved the school system.…

    • 743 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More