Sent to the Washington Post, August 25, 2015
As is the case every year, the PDK/Gallup poll found that people rate their local schools much more positively than they do schools in the US in general ("U.S. schools are too focused on standardized tests, poll says," August 23).
The differences, as usual, were striking: Seventy percent of parents said they would give the public schools their oldest child attended a grade or A or B, but only 19% would give public schools in the nation an A or B.
An obvious explanation: Parents have direct information about the school their children attend, but their opinion of American education comes from the media. For decades, the media has been presenting a biased view.
In reality, American schools are doing quite well: When researchers control for the effects of poverty, American students' international test scores rank near the top of the world.
I wonder how many of those interviewed know this?
Stephen Krashen
Questions about parents views: Q19, Q 20, PDK Poll, 2015
Original article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/us-schools-are-too-focused-on-standardized-tests-poll-finds/2015/08/22/4a954396-47b3-11e5-8e7d-9c033e6745d8_story.html
As is the case every year, the PDK/Gallup poll found that people rate their local schools much more positively than they do schools in the US in general ("U.S. schools are too focused on standardized tests, poll says," August 23).
The differences, as usual, were striking: Seventy percent of parents said they would give the public schools their oldest child attended a grade or A or B, but only 19% would give public schools in the nation an A or B.
An obvious explanation: Parents have direct information about the school their children attend, but their opinion of American education comes from the media. For decades, the media has been presenting a biased view.
In reality, American schools are doing quite well: When researchers control for the effects of poverty, American students' international test scores rank near the top of the world.
I wonder how many of those interviewed know this?
Stephen Krashen
Questions about parents views: Q19, Q 20, PDK Poll, 2015
Original article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/us-schools-are-too-focused-on-standardized-tests-poll-finds/2015/08/22/4a954396-47b3-11e5-8e7d-9c033e6745d8_story.html
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