Education reformers prize “rigor.” They think that education must be more “rigorous.” The word “rigor” is one of their favorites.
Is this the missing ingredient in education today?
But what do we mean by “rigor”?
A reader offers dictionary definitions of rigor:
From the Oxford English Dictionary:
Definition of rigor
noun
Medicine
a sudden feeling of cold with shivering accompanied by a rise in temperature, often with copious sweating, especially at the onset or height of a fever.
short for rigor mortis.
From Merriam-Webster:
Definition of RIGOR
1
a (1) : harsh inflexibility in opinion, temper, or judgment : severity (2) : the quality of being unyielding or inflexible : strictness (3) : severity of life : austerity
b : an act or instance of strictness, severity, or cruelty
2
: a tremor caused by a chill
3
: a condition that makes life difficult, challenging, or uncomfortable; especially : extremity of cold
4
: strict precision : exactness
5
a obsolete : rigidity, stiffness
b : rigidness or torpor of organs or tissue that prevents response to stimuli
c : rigor mortis
I think that the deformers shot themselves in the foot when they chose “rigor” as their clarion call. It is an inappropriate term and has no place in education. What they are doing to schools, teachers, and students does, however, fit the actual definition to a “T”.
From PreK to college we are introducing “rigor” into the learning process at our peril. Of course it is just another buzzword in eduspeak used to justify people who know nothing imposing programs that do nothing on those who are allowed to say and do nothing about it.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
You have decoded an important word in this debate.
It is another example of the “up is down”and “black is white” narrative from
Deformers.
With that one word, they imply to parents that over-testing and test prep make a more rigororous curriculum.
Over-testing does not mean rigor and does not improve the curriculum.
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Sure does sound good….rigor….just add more and our problems will be solved. Of course when they add more rigor they kill the spirit and joy of learning and that I guess is the end-game.
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Alfie Kohn pointed this out in his book “The Homework Myth”. I have to admit it was an eye-opener for me. I always just assumed the “rigorous” meant difficult or challenging. But I think “harsh” and “severe” go rather beyond “challenging”.
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About twenty years ago, two brain researchers (Cain & Cain) wrote a book on what they called “brain-based” education, and devoted a good bit of attention to the difference between “challenge” and “threat,” and how the former can become the latter without artful instruction. Challenges are doable and activate our talents abilities and desires. Threats shut us down and are counterproductive to educational goals. It seems to me similar to the distinction between a challenging environment and one that is severe/harsh . As a teacher, I never understood why parents thought school should be hard, by which most of them seemed to mean “unpleasant.” What if kids could, with the proper approach, find learning interesting and fun and…challenging, too?
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Exactly – well said.
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I would much prefer “vigor” – active, healthy, well-balanced growth.
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Me, too! Rigor just sounds so negative and bleak.
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I have been arguing your essential point for two years. It is the Newspeak of this, our Orwellian world.
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Maybe this fellow can help us define it. Talk about influence. This just in from another favorite reform publication/mouthpiece: The Atlantic.
The Schoolmaster
David Coleman is an idealistic, poetry-loving, controversy-stoking Rhodes Scholar and a former McKinsey consultant who has determined, more than almost anyone else, what kids learn in American schools. His national curriculum standards and pending overhaul of the SAT have reignited a thorny national debate over how much we should expect from students and schools, and how much is out of their control.
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/10/the-schoolmaster/309091/
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I would venture to stipulate that he has more juice than Arne.
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I have been arguing this essential point for two years. It is the Newspeak of this our Orwellian world.
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Isn’t it interesting that the description/standard is NOT applied to “research based” studies conducted BY materials manufacturers in order to demonstrate the value of their materials for sale? Also, they ignore tht standard when evaluating test results and comparisons to insist that American education is “failing”.
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I will admit to using the term “rigor” regularly to describe the precision that is important in my subject, but I really ought to find a better word.
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It seems that any word will be hijacked by ed-reformers or test-prep psychotics. I think there are plenty of teachers out there who believe that schools can get more serious about reading good literature and asking and answering important questions. Call that rigor or call it good learning. Call it whatever. But there is some fluff out there and some classes only touch the surface of things, which of course NCLB has encouraged us to do. I have always read “rigor” to mean the alternative to all of that.
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They’ve hijacked REFORM! Others have suggested using instead DEFORM, which is much better. Also, someone (can’t remember who) suggested we refer to the standardized tests in NY as “the Pearson exams” as opposed to “state exams.”
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One interpretation of the concern might be that grades are computed using non-academic criteria. Did the student bring in two tissue boxes for the class? Did the student hand in something, regardless of quality?
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what I am finding very interesting about this debate of privatizing inner city schools why is there no privatization of rural schools? I understand that rural schools are having the sames issues but no talk of a total reorganization of them. Anyone know.
Thanks
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Now the charter operators are moving into suburbs. Rich fields to mine there.
Rural districts will get skimmed by virtual charters
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I’m hoping that the line will be drawn and push back occurs in the suburbs.
I see a problem with rural schools and virtual charters. On-line access. I don’t forsee high speed access any time soon and satellite links are unreliable. How will this problem be solved?
Now, one last thing with these virtual charters. Who is minding the children when they’re online at home? What is to prevent parents or students from hiring someone else to take a student’s place? (The incentive is completing the classes with out required seat time) We’ve seen cheating scandals with the ACT and SAT’ what about this?
Just wondering aloud?
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There are companies advertising that they will take your online class for you, so no doubt this is a huge problem for all on-line classes. Face to face proctored exams will have to be required.
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Online education should be extremely restricted and under the close regulation of public school districts. Online charters need to be abolished because of the potential of rampant cheating and minimal. There is NO effective way to monitor the student to make sure it is the student, not the parent or somebody else, who is actually doing the lessons and the testing.
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I meant minimal supervision. A parent doesn’t count; a real teacher does.
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Face-to-face instruction is required for K-12 because of the potential for cheating and the fact teachers need to be aware of whether the student understands the material.. There is no way to constantly test to make sure the child is “getting” the material.
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I certainly think that proctored exams are important, but I don’t think that face to face instruction is required for all students all the time. Such a policy would also limit the curiculem in the small rural schools that are typical of my state.
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Not only is there the possible cheating problem, but why are we leaving minors at home unsupervised? Seriously, have the adults checked out? If so, please check back in. Maybe it’s me, but no good can come of this situation.
I also have a problem with the lack of student-teacher-peer interaction. Part of learning is social, that is interacting and getting along with people. That isn’t going to happen with a web cam and a computer. Let me rephrase that. It won’t happen to the degree necessary for anyone to benefit from it.
Finally, it can be difficult to get motivated and complete an on-line course. Multiply that by several classes for several hours a day and you’re looking at someone who has to be motivated and dedicated. I know from experience how hard that is and my motivation included additional money for a salary step and license renewal. What is the motivation for a teen with fleeting attention?
Why do people believe that on-line learning is some magical solution? It isn’t and I’m sure it will take millions of dollars wasted to validate that belief. Even with fancy visuals and videos- it isn’t truly interactive.
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I live in a rural area and in my district, virtual charters are already moving in, but not in the way you probably think of a virtual charter. One way it works is that the school district grants a charter to a group of homeschoolers, usually religious, who then set up this bizarre system where a certified teacher is charged with supervising parents as they educate their children at home. The student/teacher ratio is such that there cannot be any real supervision going on, so basically the parents are the teachers. The homeschoolers get regular high school diplomas for studying canned religious curriculum, which the district pays for in a strange money-laundering scheme whereby the district provides money to the charter, which then hires a consulting board, usually some officials from a local church, who then buy and donate curriculum for the charter’s library. The parents then check out said curriculum and use it. The homeschoolers also get to participate in school sports and other activities. The district gets money for these kids who were otherwise not going to be enrolled. Some unemployed relative of the founder gets a job as the supervising teacher. Everyone wins. Of course, it is highly illegal in our state for unlicensed teachers to provide a public school education, so the school becomes a “virtual” charter school.
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My son to AP Gov through a public school district (not our home one), but run by K12. It satisfied the state requirement and seemed a reasonable class.
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Dave: I think that virtual classes can be helpful for students living in small school districts. My son had to take an online AP government class administered by K12 but run through a public school district. The course was pretty well done, and it allowed him to take some other, more important classes outside of his chocolate building.
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I think the major advantage of school choice is being able to find a school that most closely fits the student’s individual needs. There can be a variety of options in a large school district, but not in a small rural school district. Many of the school districts in my state have between 100 and 500 total students, so the idea of multiple high schools, for example, does not make much sense.
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A few edits for 1:35 pm post.
foresee replaces forsee
without replaces with out
remove ‘ from SAT. Add a period. New sentence: What about this?
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I’m sure that the Principal in this clip is following the administrative script for “rigor.”
Sad but funny.
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Thanks I needed that laugh. But unfortunately it is so true.
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“Rigor” is used by the privatizers to actually LOWER the standards for everything involving education, from curriculum to teachers.
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As in “rigor mortis”? Ah, yes. Exactly.
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