ERIC ED538236: Three Flaws in the Education System and How to Fix Them. The Claremont Letter. Volume 1, Issue 2

2005·0.89 MB·English

by  ERIC

ISSUE 2 VOLUME 1 2005

The Claremont

Letter

Examining current issues in education highlighting the
ongoing work of the faculty of the School of Educational
EStudieds at uClarecmonat Grtadiuaote Unniver sity.

This issue of the Claremont Education Letter examines common

mistakes educators make and how we can learn from those mistakes.

T hree Flaws in the Education System and

How to Fix Them

By David E. Drew enough to master complex

material, e.g., mathematics. That

Whenever international statement is wrong 99% of the

assessments of student time. Yet, frequently students of

achievement are conducted, in color, girls and women, and

which tests of subject matter students from poverty are

knowledge are given to students discouraged or prevented from

around the world, the United studying the subjects they need

States scores poorly. I will identify because of such erroneous
three mistakes American judgments. College Board now refers to the
educators make that undermine exam only by the acronym SAT,
student learning, and suggest how There is a long, and misguided, much as Kentucky Fried Chicken
these problems can be corrected. tradition in this country of basing now refers to their product only as
important admissions, assignment, KFC, in an attempt to make
Mistake 1: Basing educational and pedagogical decisions about people forget that pesky middle
decisions on aptitude. students on aptitude. For word, “fried.”
example, the SAT, which is a key
After years of conducting gatekeeping test for college Several years ago I was talking
research, I believe the single applicants, originally was with a colleague who is a
biggest mistake educators make is designed to measure aptitude. mathematics professor in China.
to tell some—actually many— Many have forgotten that the A in He noted that virtually every
students that they are not smart SAT stands for aptitude. The student in China learns advanced
mathematics, while only a few do
School of Educational Studies at Claremont
Graduate University

For more than 75 years, the School of Educational Studies (SES) at Claremont
Graduate University (CGU) has been a leader in providing graduate education. Many
of our more than 5,700 alumni have held positions as college presidents,
superintendents, principals, award-winning teachers, and tenured professors at
1
colleges and universities around the world.
so in the United States. He said fields—except for those who are
that in China it is assumed that unusually resilient and self-
everyone can master advanced confident. Many young women,
concepts, and everyone is including the best and the
expected to do so. He said that in brightest, have become convinced
America we have this “strange that they are inferior.
concept of aptitude.” ENGAGEMENT
In a 1994 study of the science

pipeline funded by the National
Our task as educators is to make
Science Foundation, I examined a
sure that every student masters the national sample of college
mathematics or science or history
students who were asked to rate
he or she needs; virtually every their own ability in mathematics
student has the capacity to learn
twice—as first-year students and
these subjects. again three years later. I studied SOCIAL JUSTICE

only those students who were in the
Since aptitude measures are highly
top ten percent, based on their
correlated with socio-economic
score on the quantitative portion of
status, i.e., with affluence, the use
the SAT. Though they had been
of aptitude in deciding students’
told their score and their percentile
options has become an allegedly
rank by the College Board, only
scientific method of preserving the about a quarter of the women who ACCOUNTABILITY
economic status quo and keeping
people down. Perhaps not actually were in the top ten
intentionally, the measurement of percent believed that they were, in
both surveys.
aptitude has become an instrument
of discrimination. The earliest women
mathematicians, like early African
It is time we sent the concept of American scientists and inventors,
aptitude (or intelligence) to had to overcome both prejudice
history’s wastebasket. The concept and insufficient recognition of their
has done more harm than good, work. For example, historian K.D.
particularly when politicians and Rappaport noted that both Sophia
others try to advance the erroneous Germaine, who received the grand
idea that some groups are prize of the French Academy of
genetically inferior to other groups. Sciences in 1816 for her paper
“Memoir on the Vibrations of
Early in the twentieth century, Elastic Plates,” and Mary Fairfax

statistician Karl Pearson argued Somerville, who presented a paper

that Jews were innately inferior and titled “The Magnetic Properties of

perhaps not worth educating. In the Violet Rays of the Solar Spectrum”

1980s, the authors of The Bell to the Royal Society of London in

Curve argued that African- 1826 and who was elected an
Americans were innately inferior. honorary member of the Royal
Over time, both arguments have Astronomical Society, were self-

failed the tests of both rigorous taught. Both had to hide their “The faculty of the school
scientific review and experience. studies of mathematics from their of educational studies
families, who didn’t approve of believes a socially just
Even erroneous ideas can have their daughters studying such nation educates all its
powerful effects. Psychologist material. Many years later the diverse citizenry through
Claude Steele identified the Women’s College of Oxford was
networks of effective and
phenomenon of "stereotype named Somerville College in
accountable organizations
threat"—destructive performance recognition of her achievements.
that interact responsibly
impeding anxiety that results from
with families and
an awareness, often subconscious, Because intelligent women were
that others erroneously believe you suspect, Sophia Germaine signed communities…”
are less intelligent because of your the name LeBlanc to her writings
ethnicity or impoverished and letters. Augusta Ada Byron -From our mission statement
background. Lovelace, arguably the world’s first
computer programmer, published
Young women who are told by under the initials A.A.L. The
authority figures that they are not Defense Department programming
smart enough to master or excel in language is named ADA in her
mathematics and science are less honor.
likely to pursue careers in those
2
Programs to confront these our schools really aren't that curriculum; (2) the more students
negative expectations and complicated. All we need to do is work on computers, the less they
prejudiced beliefs have return to the basics." Translation: will interact with teachers; (3) the
dramatically reversed the "I've got a good job, earn good latest hardware and software are
male/female achievement gap as money, and I went to a small town more available to affluent students.
well as the White/minority public school during the Each of these arguments has some
achievement gap. For example, Eisenhower administration. If we merit. But in an earlier era, each of
during the past five years my would just return to the 1950s, these arguments was also made to
colleagues and I have observed everything would be fine." oppose the introduction of books.
such turnarounds in colleges and
universities in Louisiana and Politicians believe many educators Mistake 3: Relying on poorly
Texas. Such programs focus on can't speak English and deal designed testing programs.
recruitment, consistent and directly with problems. They are
engaged mentoring, and providing right. Jargon serves no purpose We have entered an era of high-
resources to support a peer culture except to make professors feel stakes testing, epitomized in the
in which students work important. It obscures the important Federal No Child Left Behind
collaboratively towards academic messages the researchers are trying (NCLB) Act. Much about this is
achievement. to deliver. Educators believe many positive. Statewide testing can
government officials don't correct for teacher grading biases.
CGU’s Gail Thompson has understand the complexity of the Disaggregated student
identified the factors that facilitate social, educational and economic achievement data allows decision
the resilience and achievement of problems that plague schools. makers to identify schools with
successful African American They are right. Politicians have a overall high achievement levels
students, including effective and low tolerance for nuance. that are shortchanging students of
supportive teaching. a particular ethnic group or from
Scholars have learned a lot about impoverished backgrounds.
Instead of focusing on the elusive what works in schools. But they
concept “aptitude,” educators have failed to communicate this to But there are three major problems
should build programs the public and to our leaders. in the implementation of high
characterized by effective stakes testing that I will address.
teaching, supportive mentoring, In addition, most educational
and collaborative learning. policy debates don't consider First, there is too much testing.
Students should be evaluated history, as though this were the first This steals time from the
based on their achievements, not time a given issue was confronted. instructional program and
their so-called aptitude. But we can learn from the significantly increases student
successes and failures of the past. anxiety levels. Both effects reduce
Mistake 2: Failing to learn from student learning. Second, virtually
research and experience. Debates about bilingual education all testing is done with
have been conducted as though standardized, multiple-choice
If educational reform is to be Americans had always been taught exams, although we know that such
effective, educators and political in English and only the recent testing only scratches the surface
leaders must learn a common influx of immigrants from Latin of assessment of learning. Third,
language and depart from jargon. America, Asia, and elsewhere frequently norm-referenced tests,
For example, educational forced us to consider instruction in which score on the curve, are used.
researchers (like me) write articles other languages. However, in the But we should be assessing whether
containing statements such as: "In early days of this Republic many a student has mastered the
the hierarchical multiple regression schools, particularly in material, regardless of what his or
analysis, the beta for the treatment Pennsylvania, carried out her peers know, through criterion-
effect approached significance. If instruction entirely in German. One based tests.
we had access to a larger sample, expert estimated that one million
thus avoiding a possible Type II pupils attended public bilingual As a metaphor to illustrate these
error, or had measures of additional schools during the 1800s, when the problems, imagine that the federal
covariates, the beta might have U.S. population was much smaller. government and the states have
been statistically significant. In the third Congress, two launched a new program to
Nonetheless, the regression Congressional committees debated evaluate and improve hospitals.
findings are of great heuristic whether to print all federal laws in Suppose they decide to conduct
value." Translation: "The program German as well as in English. rigorous assessment of the health
didn't work. Maybe we did the status of those released from each
evaluation study wrong. If we're In debates about the effective uses hospital. There are many indicators
lucky, we can find something of computer technology in the of health status; one important
useful here." classroom, critics of these measure is blood pressure.
instructional innovations make
Politicians say things like this in three arguments: (1) the teacher is
A. Suppose the testing program
their speeches, "The problems in presented with a prepackaged
was to assess only each
3
patient’s blood pressure. This No educational decision should be
would mean ignoring other based, even in part, on
vital indicators of health status. assumptions about a student’s
Furthermore, serious health aptitude or intelligence.
evaluations require the
experienced clinical Mistake 2
judgments of a health A. Researchers should be required
professional. to learn and use clear writing.
They should be penalized for
B. Suppose, further, that nurses using jargon whenever clear Claremont Graduate University
had to measure each patient’s English would suffice.
blood pressure once every half CGU is a member of the Claremont
hour. This repeated testing B. Government agencies should
Consortium of seven institutions of
would add little to our develop mechanisms for
higher education (Pomona College,
assessment of a hospital, but scanning and summarizing the
Harvey Mudd College, Claremont
would prevent patients from research literature, and then
McKenna College, Scripps College,
engaging in the very activities, taking it seriously.
Pitzer College, and Keck Graduate
e.g., aerobic exercise, that
would lower their blood C. Educators should train Institute). It is an independent
pressure. specialists who bridge the gap institution devoted entirely to
between researchers and graduate education.
C. Suppose hospitals and patients decision-makers.
were assessed not against a
nationally-recognized standard, Mistake 3
e.g., readings of 120/80 or Those designing tests and testing
lower, but by comparison with programs should:
other patients. What if many of
the comparison patients had A. Use criterion referenced tests
high blood pressure, partly due only.
to poverty’s effect on their diet?
B. Sharply reduce the number of
D. Now suppose the hospitals that school days and hours devoted
performed poorly on the blood to testing.
pressure tests were told they
had to improve or risk heavy C. Incorporate more testing
federal sanctions, but were modalities, beyond multiple
given no resources, e.g., blood choice exams, even if that
pressure medication or means more work for those
educational materials, to conducting the tests.
change the situation. Claremont Graduate University
D. Insist that the teacher’s holistic School of Educational Studies
E. What if the best health judgment be weighted more Harper Hall 202
professionals left hospitals for heavily than the standardized 150 East Tenth Street
private practice because the test results in a given student’s Claremont, CA 91711
constant focus on assessing assessment
blood pressure dramatically Phone
interfered with their ability to We can provide more successful [phone]
apply their expertise? schooling for our students if we
focus on achievement, develop Fax
This may sound ridiculous, but this more effective assessment [phone]
is what we are doing to our schools programs, and build on lessons
and to our students. learned from history, experience, E-mail
and research. [email protected]
Recommendations:
Mistake 1 I wish to thank the following colleagues who Web
commented on an earlier draft: Hedley Burrell,
Charles Kerchner, Daryl Smith, Gail Thompson, http://www.cgu.edu/ses
and the students in my multivariate statistical
analysis course (Ed 467).

The Claremont Letter is published three
David E. Drew is Professor of Education and Executive Management at times per year in the fall, winter, and
Claremont Graduate University. His research focuses on the development, spring. If you would like to subscribe or
management and evaluation of programs to strengthen research and unsubscribe please send an e-mail to
development and to improve mathematics and science education. [email protected].
4