It Takes a Village

This week’s podcast titled, Teaching Language Arts in a High Stakes Era with Dr. Caitlin Dooley, explored the influence of standardized tests since the implementation of No Child Left Behind Act of 2002. The act changed testing by putting more pressure on students and teachers to perform well on tests at any cost. For instance, these tests are now used to make decisions that impact teachers, students, and communities as a whole. Teachers are at risk for losing their jobs, students are at risk for being held back in school, and parents are at risk for losing great teachers that can truly help their children. Since standardized tests are the only measure used to assess student’s academic skills, it is no wonder that classrooms are becoming less about learning and more about the pressure to compete with other students, teachers, schools, and countries.

            Teachers that have a passion for teaching are quitting because they simply cannot teach in ways that truly help children succeed. For instance, many teachers feel as though this assessment is not working and yet does not support student achievement. Along with complying with districts, students have no time or breathing room to help students whom are less fortunate than others. Students that live in communities that do not have very much funding or academic support rely on teachers to help them make meaning of their studies. If teachers are not allowed to do this, those children can become…left behind.

              This issue is an ongoing fight. Teachers should continue to find ways to help students in spite of the politics. This can be difficult and will take hard work, however it is important that teachers try to help students in a holistic way, not just toward getting a great test score. Parents are also a key role in helping students and teachers. Parents can rally with teachers by making connections with policy makers, assisting children at home and keeping open communication with teachers. It really does take a village to raise a child, but it also takes a village to teach a child.