World Class Schools Takes A New Radical Approach To Educational Reform

Added : ( Sun Jan 02 2005 )

The problem of building a world class education can be seen clearly by looking at an article that was published eight years ago- in May 1997 issue of The American School Board Journal Richard M. Haynes and Donald M. Chalker wrote," French middle school students giggle when they hear that U.S. students either do no homework or do homework while watching television. Israeli students call multiple-choice tests "American tests"--a derogatory reference to how easy U.S. tests are, compared to Israeli essay tests. Many foreign high school exchange students find their native countries do not accept U.S. high school credits." The problem has not changed one iota. After eight years and two different presidents, we are no closer today towards building a world class school or are we?

World Class Schools Project Director Michael Cunningham explains," The answers that we currently seek are not based in educational reform- they are based in accountability reform. That is the problem!"

Cunningham explains that accountability is not the same as educational reform and today we should look at true educational reform to bring down the walls that separate schools all over the world.

He goes on to explain that a person can see how successful the current path of accountability is by asking two questions. First, ask what purpose does standardized testing have in current educational process? Second, ask what is the purpose of a business.

Cunningham explains that these two questions are actually on the same line. He explains that the propose of business is to make money and the propose of standardized test is to make money for the company who constructs the tests. Therefore, Cunningham concludes, educational assessment is a function of a byproduct that results from the test not direct results from the test.

"Now, just look at the results. When you spend the entire school year preparing for standardized test what are you really learning?" Cunningham asks.

By comparing results from any standardized tests involving the United States and other countries, the facts show that schools who prepare their students for a more well rounded curriculum score higher than students from the United States.

In the past many educational researchers would explain this away by simply saying that you are comparing apples and oranges. In the United States we educate everyone and in the other countries they only educate a select few.

"If this is the case and all we can do is to take the experts at their word. This fact becomes the worst indictment of this process!" Cunningham adds. " Clearly, other countries are doing a better job and if we are trying to educate everyone, would you not think that we would want to do a better job not a worse job?"

The results boil down to nothing more than a time on task problem. In the United States we are spending 100% of our time trying to prepare our students on a predetermined outcome that calls for students to be responsible for way less than 50% of the material.

Cunningham," Other countries are not doing this. I ask- why not? If this is truly the way to go, wouldn't more countries have copied us?"

At World Class Schools, teachers from all over the world are taking educational reform into their own hands. " We are not looking for a political answer, we are looking for a practical answer!" Cunningham added.

If you truly want a world class school how would you build it? Would you gear your curriculum towards a test and then spend all of your time teaching that test or would you bring the world into your classroom. Would you use technology to augment your curriculum and talk with other students daily all over the world, or would you judge your school with the technology of the mid-20th century that depends upon mechanized scanning of bubble test.

"The answer is this," Cunningham explains," if you truly want a world class education, then you must prepare your students for such a result. Today we are changing the face of education by calling for educational reform. We call for implementation of technology into the classroom. We call bringing the world into your classroom on a daily basis, and we call for a change in philosophy. It's not always a matter of dollars-sometimes it is a matter of desire and we must change way we currently view our educational process!" Submitted by: Michael Cunningham Add your press release for free.

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