×
CUTBACKS IN HISTORY, SCIENCE, ART, AND MUSIC. According to a new study from the Center on Education Policy, 44 percent of elementary schools nationwide have cut down on subjects that No Child Left Behind considers non-essential in order to focus more instruction time to reading and math skills. CEP has some very sensible recommendations on how to update NCLB to maintain its focus on skill-building without depriving kids of an education in American history, the fun of science experiments, or the joys of art and music:
- Stagger testing requirements to include tests in other academic subjects. Because oursurvey data indicate that what is tested is what is taught, students should be tested in math and English language arts in grades 3, 5, and 7 and once in high school, and in social studies and science in grades 4, 6, and 8 and once in high school. - Provide federal funds for research to determine the best ways to incorporate the teaching of reading and math skills into social studies and science. By integrating reading and math instruction into other core academic subjects, students will be more ensured of a rich, well-rounded curriculum.Not surprisingly, NCLB "failing" schools are the most likely to substantially cut back on non-reading and non-math instruction time, while schools with predominantly white, middle, and upper class students are doing a better job of providing a complete curriculum. But across the board, 71 percent of all the schools surveyed -- whether in urban, suburban, or rural areas -- have neglected subject specific instruction time in favor of teaching to reading and math tests.This isn't encouraging news, but as I've argued before, the phenomenon of "teaching to tests" isn't necessarily a reason to gut NCLB. First, it shows we need better trained, more creative, higher-paid teachers. And secondly, test-based accountability pushes us to create better assessments that value critical thinking and the accumulation of the kind of historical, scientific, and cultural knowledge that shapes someone into an educated person. It's uniquely American to feel outraged at the idea of the government testing school children in a uniform way. --Dana Goldstein
