Reposted from:
http://reformationcomingsoon.bravehost.com/Commentary.htmlOn The America Competes Act and No Child Left Behind Act:
American Education Initiatives: Good Intentions, Unintended Consequences
The America Competes Act and initiative has broad bipartisan support because it was designed to increase funding and boost American efforts to increase education in "STEM" subjects: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. The rationale and belief was that this is necessary to compete with other countries that have been and are increasingly producing and graduating professionals in these fields at a rate higher than the U.S.
On the face of it, this seems like a good idea, and it is a good idea except for one important thing. It is to the detriment of the liberal arts, and particularly to the detriment of literature, history, civics, geography, art, and music, all of which are just as valuable to our civilization. In fact, many people would say they are even more valuable to the spiritual and cultural development of our civilization, and to increase funding for STEM subjects while decreasing funding for liberal arts is foolhardy, shortsighted, and careless.
Moreover, since the American Competes Act came on the heels of Bush’’s "No Child Left Behind Act," it compounds the problems caused by that foolhardy initiative. And let me tell you why I say that.
Bush’’s "No Child Left Behind" is an unfunded education "reform" initiative designed to make schools more accountable by imposing more standardized tests. It’’s part of the Republican demand to prove how much "bang for the buck" we’’re getting. But, the reality is that it wastes public schools' precious time and money, and it endangers many public schools and sets them up for failure.
"No Child Left Behind" threatens loss of funding if schools do not meet standardized testing requirements. But most educators find those requirements unrealistic and counterproductive, and they detract from real teaching and learning. In fact, they stifles incentive and destroy interest in wider and higher learning, because they are geared toward low-performing students to ensure that all students pass the standardized tests so their school is not punished.
While "No Child Left Behind" ostensibly creates "greater accountability," it actually forces attention on very narrowly defined academic achievement. Like "merit pay," it forces teachers to "teach to the test" and focus on test results, which is at the cost of wider and more comprehensive learning, and also at the cost of social and emotional character development.
You see, Bush’’s education initiative was originally predicated and modeled on a fraudulently touted Texas school program, and it never was a good idea. In fact, I suspect it was secretly designed to gradually undermine public education and make way for a privatized, profit-making education system. I suspect that is the hidden agenda of right-wing conservatives regarding education. That is why they have been pushing for "school choice," demanding taxpayer’’s money for private schools, and taking money away from public schools that desperately need it. I believe that is why early in his first term Bush cut $8 Billion from the promised funds for public education, and then imposed an education law and unfunded mandate that has created more costly bureaucracy and paper work for public schools.
Now things have been made worse. The 2007 American Competes Act decreases our ability to give students a comprehensive, broad education, because it focuses and rewards the STEM subjects at the cost of everything else –– particularly at the cost of the subjects that make our culture more creative, beautiful, entertaining, enriching, and enjoyable. Even worse, it runs headlong further toward an inequitable educational system in which only the children of the wealthy would be able to afford liberal arts education. And even as it has been, many students in many public schools cannot afford to participate in some music and arts programs because they are already underfunded.
We need to educate our children and young men and women with a broad, comprehensive liberal arts education that includes all areas of academic study, and we need to ensure that they are all funded fairly and equitably.
Remember what the very wise have said.
"I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce and agriculture in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, and music."
–– John Adams
"If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music."
–– Albert Eienstein
"Joy, sorrow, tears, lamentation, laughter -- to all these music gives voice, but in such a way that we are transported from the world of unrest to a world of peace, and see reality in a new way, as if we were sitting by a mountain lake and contemplating hills and woods and clouds in the tranquil and fathomless water."
–– Albert Schweitzer
“When I hear music, I fear no danger. I am invulnerable. I see no foe. I am related to the earliest times, and to the latest."
–– Henry David Thoreau
I focus on music because it is dear to my heart. And I quote those who were speaking of classical music, because it soothes the soul. But any good music with beautiful melody and engaging rhythm is highly valuable to our culture and civilization. We all know that. We just need to keep that in mind when it comes to funding our educational system, and fund music, art, literature, history, civics, and geography just as much as we fund the STEM subjects.
Finally I’ll just say that Americans have been sold on the idea that victory in competition is everything, and that we must be “Number One.” But that is not what’s most important. Creativity is the thing that is most valuable and enriching, and the satisfaction and enjoyment it brings is far longer lasting.
Let us nourish the soul of all, not feed the individual or national ego.
© 2007 Joseph J. Adamson
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