Thompson: Gerald Bracey's Concluding Remarks

The last Bracey Report should be read and reread in its balanced, jewel-like entirety.  Federal accountability schemes, despite their avowed purpose of helping the poor, make no sense unless you also believe that American education as a whole is dangerously in decline.  Bracey's last report again debunked that myth along with the hype surrounding mayoral control of schools and standards as the basis of reforms, concluding:

"In my opinion, the Obama/Duncan approach would only exacerbate the problems created by our industrial ... command-and-control model on steroids. Sidwell, by contrast, encourages a rich interdisciplinary curriculum designed to stimulate inquiry; the expression of artistic abilities; reflection; 'stewardship of the natural world'; service to others; scientific investigation; creative expression; group as well as individual learning; personalization of learning and education of the whole person. ... Can it work in schools such as the one Linda Perlstein describes in Tested? She thinks so, but not while high-stakes testing displaces true education. ... As Yong Zhao pointed out, 'Obama and the nation's governors should preserve the legacy of our Founding Fathers and build a nation of diverse talents and creative entrepreneurs rather than a nation of standardized test-takers.'" - John Thompson

Comments

[Dick]

Another posthumous Bracey article is also worth reading:

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/nov09/vol67/num03/The_Big_Tests@_What_Ends_Do_They_Serve%C2%A2.aspxa

Jerry's concluding remarks won't be the last word on these matters. We can only regret that we will not have Jerry's help in combating educational disinformation.