Under the "No Child Left Behind Act," public schools whose students consistently fail standardized tests can be shut down. To protect their jobs, teachers and principals are now under intense pressure to cheat - to fudge test scores and report cards to fool parents and school administrators.
Myron Lieberman, author and former high-school teacher, listed some of the ways public schools can "cheat" in his book "Public Education: an Autopsy":
1. Poor students were excluded or discouraged from taking the tests
2. Teachers assigned tests as homework or taught test items in class
3. Test security was minimal or even nonexistent
4. Students were allowed more time than prescribed by test regulations
5. Unrealistic, highly improbable improvements from test to test were not audited or investigated
6. Teachers and administrators were not punished for flagrant violations of test procedures
7. Test results were reported in ways that exaggerated achievement levels
In December 1999, a special investigation of New York City schools revealed that two principals and dozens of teachers and assistant teachers were helping students cheat on standardized math and reading tests.
Andrew J. Coulson, in his brilliant book, "Market Education: The Unknown History," sites an example of how public schools deliberately lie to parents about their children's academic abilities:
"Consistently greeted by A's and B's on their children's report cards, the parents of Zavala Elementary School had been lulled into complacency, believing that both the school and its students were performing well. In fact, Zavala was one of the worst schools in the district, and its students ranked near the bottom on statewide standardized tests. When a new principal took over the helm and requested that the statewide scores be read out at a PTA meeting, parents were dismayed by their children's abysmal showing, and furious with teachers and school officials for misleading them with inflated grades."
In 1990, three academics, Harold Stevenson, Chuansheng Chen, and David Uttal did a study of the attitudes and academic achievement of black, white, and hispanic children in Chicago. They found a disturbing gap between what parents thought their children were learning and the children's actual performance. Teachers in high-poverty schools had given A's to students for work that would have earned them C's or D's in affluent suburban schools. In the study, black mothers of Chicago elementary school students rated their child's skills and abilities quite high and thought their kids were doing well in reading and math. The children thought the same thing.
Unfortunately, the researchers found that the parents' and children's self-evaluations of their math and reading skills were way above their actual achievement levels. There was a big gap between their optimistic self-evaluations and their dismal academic performance on independent tests. Public schools were giving these children a false idea of their academic skill levels. In other words, these children were heading towards failure and no one bothered to tell them.
Parents, it would not be wise to trust any claims by teachers or school authorities about your children's alleged academic abilities, even in so-called "good" schools in suburban neighborhoods. To find out how your child is really doing, have an outside independent company test your child's reading and math skills.
If you find that your child's academic skills are far below what your local public-school led you to believe, you might want to take your child out of public school and look for better education alternatives. There is a complete Resource section in "Public Schools, Public Menace" that explores many of these quality, low-cost education alternatives.
Joel Turtel is an education policy analyst, and author of "Public Schools, Public Menace: How Public Schools Lie To Parents and Betray Our Children."
Contact Information:
Website: http://www.mykidsdeservebetter.com,
Email: lbooksusa@aol.com,
Phone: 718-447-7348.
Article Copyrighted © 2005 by Joel Turtel
NOTE: You may post this Article on an Ezine, newsletter, or other website only if you include Joel Turtel's complete contact information, and set up a hyperlink to Joel Turtel's email address and website URL, http://www.mykidsdeservebetter.com
One of the questions I ask in parenting presentations is... Read More
Voices!So many voices crying out for adherence and so many... Read More
Here's a scene: A parent "might suddenly grab a happliy... Read More
We know that ancient cultures and Indians and the like... Read More
Being a parent is a role that requires a large... Read More
Q. With another school year starting, we are not sure... Read More
"What age should my child start school?"This is a common... Read More
I am crying tears of joy mixed with great sadness... Read More
So your little Susie wants to join a competitive gymnastic... Read More
1. They are leaders as well as parents. They don't... Read More
Public education in the United States has never been equal... Read More
Back in college, I wrote for a five-day-a-week, award-winning campus... Read More
It's a familiar scene: Kids screaming at each other, complaining... Read More
Sitterphobe "I never have a second to myself," this mother... Read More
Despite serious reductions in funding for arts programs in... Read More
The cruel callous remarks made by our offspring can sometimes... Read More
Dear Sir, It was with some interest that I read... Read More
In the wonderment of childhood, it is easier for a... Read More
Memorizing math facts is a necessary part of elementary school.... Read More
Q. How do we decide what our teens should be... Read More
Not so long ago a dad-to-be would pace up and... Read More
In the first premise, some films and video tapes which... Read More
"Setting the alarm on Sunday mornings is inhuman?..God should know... Read More
Parents of hyperactive children know the "Would you please just... Read More
'How can I start getting my children to help out... Read More
Do you know what these famous people have in common?Alexander... Read More
Often I will hear parents say, "I just ignore Jr.... Read More
It used to strike me as odd - but really,... Read More
Speaking as a Michael (a Hebrew name, meaning "Who is... Read More
"Good parents give their children Roots and Wings." --Jonas SalkThe... Read More
The advances in science over the past century have been... Read More
Although many parents are concerned with our children's intelligence quotient... Read More
Your child's first year of school should be a fun... Read More
It's hard to explain to the uninitiated the changes that... Read More
When you hear the phrase, 'guerrilla parenting techniques', what images... Read More
So you're pregnant. Congratulations! Your life is about to change... Read More
Your child's first year of school should be a fun... Read More
So you have just returned home from your third meeting... Read More
In a consumer-driven society that broadcasts values you don't approve... Read More
Little Suzy has really been having a hard time getting... Read More
Although many parents are concerned with our children's intelligence quotient... Read More
There are a LOT of alternative treatments for sale out... Read More
So you're going to become a father. Now is not... Read More
Would you hand a child calculus problems once she was... Read More
You send your child to school and the teachers teach... Read More
Oh Please, Don't Say Maybe!!!!Are you often a participant in... Read More
Julia Roberts recently gave birth to twins: Hazel and Phinnaeus.... Read More
In 1996-97 we were contracted by VAXA International of Tampa,... Read More
There's a phrase that's become popular over the past few... Read More
There is a new stage of development for parents to... Read More
The public school system in America has become a dismal... Read More
You know that children can get into trouble. The older... Read More
Are you worried about your child's reading habits? Perhaps you... Read More
Many families today are blending members from past relationships. It... Read More
If you are a parent, then more than likely you... Read More
Most of us when asked what we want our children... Read More
Emotional OverloadMany single parents say they deal with a variety... Read More
In his recent newsletter "Happy Kids", parenting expert Michael Grose... Read More
Many children who suffer from the psychological effects of child... Read More
Parents are losing their self-control to anger. A friend called... Read More
To have reasonable expectations of our children is an important... Read More
Despite the potentially dangerous side-effects of Ritalin, public school authorities... Read More
"I don't know and I don't care."I've heard those words... Read More
Vouchers, which give tax money to parents to pay for... Read More
Here are some things that you can do to help... Read More
Incest is sexual activity, ranging from fondling to intercourse, between... Read More
Parenting |