Under the "No Child Left Behind Act," public schools whose students consistently fail standardized tests can now 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.
How do public schools deceive parents? Joel Turtel, author of the new book, "Public Schools, Public Menace: How Public Schools Lie to Parents and Betray Our Children," lists some of the ways public schools can "cheat":
1. Poor students are excluded or discouraged from taking the tests.
2. Teachers assign tests as homework or teach test items in class.
3. Test security is minimal or even nonexistent.
4. Students are allowed more time than prescribed by test regulations.
5. Unrealistic, highly improbable improvements from test to test are not audited or investigated.
6. Teachers and administrators are not punished for flagrant violations of test procedures.
7. Test results are reported in ways that exaggerate achievement levels. (from Myron Lieberman's book, "Public Education: An Autopsy")
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," cites 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 1992, the scholarly journal Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice published the results of a national survey about teacher cheating. Janie Hall and Paul Kleine, the authors of the report, asked 2256 public-school teachers, principals, superintendents, and testing supervisors if their colleagues cheated on tests. Forty-four percent of those questioned answered yes. Also, 55 percent of the teachers surveyed said they were aware that many of their fellow teachers changed students' answers, taught specific parts of tests prior to the tests, and gave students hints during tests. Today, the pressure for teachers and principals to cheat is even greater because of the No Child Left Behind Act.
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 would not be wise to trust any claims by teachers or school authorities about their children's alleged academic abilities, even in so-called "good" schools in suburban neighborhoods. Parents should have an outside independent company test their child's reading and math skills to find out how their child is really doing. If parents find that their child's academic skills are far below what their local public school led them to believe, they might want to take their child out of public school and look for better education alternatives.
The Resources section in "Public Schools, Public Menace" shows parents many excellent, low-cost education options for their kids, such as the new Internet private schools, learning computer software just for kids, and home-schooling. Turtel's book and website, www.mykidsdeservebetter.com, also list many reading and math-skill testing companies parents can use to determine their children's true reading and math abilities.
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: http://www.mykidsdeservebetter.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
Alto Pass chicago limos ..I have always been aware of my number one weakness:... Read More
Are men to blame for the divorce problem in this... Read More
Not many things are more upsetting than discovering that your... Read More
Most day cares are non-profit organizations that must operate within... Read More
Maintain CommunicationEven though teens need to separate from their parents... Read More
Detox To Conceive.. If you're having trouble conceiving... Read More
Hey Parents! I hate to tell you, but there is... Read More
Most parents can hardly wait for their baby to say... Read More
What do you do when your child begins talking to... Read More
Several similar terms describe the central attribute of a character... Read More
To have reasonable expectations of our children is an important... Read More
Family decision-making is an intriguing phenomenon. Many factors become part... Read More
For troubled teens who are struggling with drug abuse, depression... Read More
If your parenting methods include abuse of any kind; physical,... Read More
It has been a long day. Home from work, you... Read More
The last decade has seen heightened interest in and awareness... Read More
Many research studies have shown the overall effectiveness of stimulant... Read More
It is hard to believe that summer is coming to... Read More
In my opinion, these things matter...1. Enjoying childlike delights before... Read More
We all want to comfort our children after they suffer... Read More
Many parents seem to be more than a little confused... Read More
Potty training fears, often called toilet terrors, are common among... Read More
Child tantrums are a way for children to express their... Read More
Suppose that you rearrange your life to homeschool your child... Read More
It's sometimes difficult to find ways to be involved with... Read More
Alto Pass cool limo ..Since so many would rather avoid the use of stimulant... Read More
You need to smart to be able influence adolescents. You... Read More
Is it possible to be using our children addictively?Anything that... Read More
Kids today no longer live the kind of privileged lives... Read More
Mary, Mary, quite contrary, How does your garden grow? With... Read More
Although many parents become frustrated as they try to maintain... Read More
Many working families choose a commercial or individual day care... Read More
Why Me?"We should certainly count our blessings, but we should... Read More
Yesterday my husband Wade took the day off (that's one... Read More
Are you a frustrated parent who sometimes finds it is... Read More
Every week I write something about the stock market -... Read More
Encouragement comes when you focus on your child's assets and... Read More
Saturday mornings. Cold cereal and Scooby Doo. How many parents... Read More
The least flexible character in all of the stories of... Read More
Imagine having no television for an entire season. Such was... Read More
We know that you want your little guy or gal... Read More
More and more parents are expressing their concerns about how... Read More
Maintain CommunicationEven though teens need to separate from their parents... Read More
Gift shops are a kid magnet and often a trip... Read More
The Real Dangers to Kids Online and How to Avoid... Read More
I recently heard a story that has literally changed the... Read More
Many parental units are not "techies" and openly admit they... Read More
From the time the Mayflower landed at Plymouth Rock in... Read More
As a parent there are lots of things that you... Read More
There may really be a real monster under your kid???s... Read More
Parenting |