The Global Achievement Gap: Chapter 3

5 main points:

The initial benefits of the No Child Left Behind law is greatly outweighed by it's flaws. It has an unrealistic goal of 100 percent efficiency in reading and math for all students by 2014. It has a negative approach toward students, teachers, and schools in terms of the consequences for poor performance on the tests. Two important question asked the NCLB: To what extent do these state tests assess the skills that matter most for work, citizenship, and college? and What is the impact of teaching to these tests on students' motivation to learn and to stay in school?

The seven survival skills are as important for citizenship as they are for work.  For example are you "jury-ready"?

High school students are unprepared for college. College freshman agree and so do their professors.  70% of professors say that students do not comprehend complex reading materials. 66% of college professors say that students cannot think analytically. 65% of college professors say that students write poorly. 59& of college professors say that students don't know how to do research. 55% of college professors say that students can't apply what they've learned to solve problems.  Tony Wagner makes a very good statement in this chapter. He says, " The rigor that matters most for the twenty first century is demonstrated mastery of the core competencies for work, citizenship, and life-long learning. Studying academic content is the means of developing competencies, instead of being the goal, as it has been traditionally. In today's world, it's no longer how much you know that matters; it's what you can do with what you know.

Advanced placement courses aren't all they are cracked up to be. "Students and teachers alike find elements of AP to be significantly more challenging than teaching and taking courses aimed at preparation for state tests. No wonder the program has become the gold standard for rigor. But ultimately, students and teachers found that the tests were much to focused on mastery of factual content--at the expense of research, reasoning, and analysis. It is hopelessly obsolete".

Another negative aspect of teaching and testing that dominates all high schools today is that it has a big negative impact on student motivation to learn for pleasure or even to continue in school at all. Students have far less time for extracurricular activities and electives than they did generations ago.  Motivation and our nations dropout rate are very much correlated.