Daniel Tanner is a professor emeritus at the Rutgers University Graduate School of Education. He has long been one of the leaders in the curriculum field.
In this article, he notes that many of our policymakers have come to believe in the magical powers of standardized testing, especially when high-stakes are attached to them. He notes with disappointment that there is no difference between George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind and President Obama’s Race to the Top program. Neither has succeeded, he says, and neither will ever succeed. He explains patiently that tests can’t cure poverty, nor can they close achievement gaps rooted in poverty. Only direct action to address poverty can cure poverty.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
“He notes with disappointment that there is no difference between George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind and President Obama’s Race to the Top program.”
Au contraire. RttT is far worse because it adds the element of competition for funding.
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In addition, through VAM, it makes our teachers scapegoats for all the ills of society, based on student test scores.
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That too. Thanks.
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It’s also worse because having it promoted by a Black Democrat guaranteed that potential opposition would be divided, as we see with the legacy civil rights organizations continuing to sign on to high stakes testing, the linchpin of destabilizing the public schools.
After all, that’s why The Overclass supported Obama in 2008 to begin with: they cynically understood that, as a neoliberal Trojan Horse, he would hopelessly divide and weaken the left wing of the Democratic Party.
Mission Accomplished.
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Public schools aren’t a big priority in DC.
Charter funding flies thru Congress, cheer-led by the Obama Administration, yet not a one of the “adults” can provide any any relief to the public schools that 90% of children attend after they loaded them up with every gimmick and mandate any faction of the “ed reform movement” demanded. Right now, the “accountability hawks” are in charge, soon to be replaced by the powerful “choice” caucus. Stay tuned!
Actual existing public schools? They’re not interested.
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President Obama hired an ed reform “movement” person and has kept him on, despite years of opposition from many, many Democratic voters. Obviously, he supports this approach.
I’m sort of mildly curious how national Democrats approach this in 2016. They’re identical to Jeb Bush, and Jeb Bush was first. They followed. They didn’t even come up with this.
What do they say? “Here’s my technocratic tweaks to the Jeb Bush plan”?
Reading the rhetoric, I think the plan is to ignore K-12 completely and make promises on pre-K and community college. We’ll see if that works. I don’t think it will but they’re the “political professionals”. Far be it from me to second guess The Best and the Brightest.
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“The poor will always be with you.” So, now what?
There are two sides to poverty, economics and spirit. A rich spirit can overcome the economics. But public schools are forbidden to deal with spiritual issues, and can’t effectively minister to the parents.
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I’d say that the most magical thinking of all is believing that policymakers in Washington actually believe in magic.
I think at some point one really has to question ones assumptions.
If testing is simply viewed as a means for closing public schools and firing teachers, then it’s use does not depend on “magical thinking” at all.
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Poverty in itself is not a predictor of school success. It is the degree of stress experienced by the child that causes damage to developing brains. Stress caused emotional problems will make it harder to concentrate, sit still, follow direction, manage tempers. Persistence, self control, grit, conscientiousness and self confidence are taught by the family, mentors and even society…whether the child is poor or rich.
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high stakes testing is not a cure for anything
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Dr. Tanner is a fine man, a distinguished scholar, and was one of my favorite professors in my (incomplete) doctoral program at Rutgers (I was ABD).
He has more knowledge of the history and science of school curricula than any person I have ever encountered. He, like Diane, should be in charge of the USDOE, instead of the Broad and TFA goonies that run it now.
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`Well Chris – I could not agree more regarding Dr. Tanner’s insights on education reform. I am sure you would agree, therefore, that it is a shame that education reformers who supported the findings of A Nation at Risk did not seriously consider Dr. Tanner’s insights during the first half of the 1990s and the yeas that followed. I am sure, after all, you did read Dr. Tanner’s Kappa Delta Pi article carefully and appreciate the historical insights he presented in this article regarding the Sandia Report and the influence of market reformers.
If only more would have listened to Dr. Tanner during this period, I think you would agree after studying with him that we would not be in the education mess we now find ourselves!
But let’s not cry over spilled milk, however! We must forge ahead and now do what is right!
Tom
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