[Grovenet] An Important Matter

[David Morelli]

On Mar 30, 2007, at 9:27 AM, Ron D'Eau Claire wrote:

> How else do we determine if the schools are doing their job? It  
> seems to me we've always used test scores to determine that. What  
> changed was that we lost confidence in individual schools to  
> administer appropriate tests and respond accordingly. Decades ago  
> many schools just pushed kids on out the door after so many years  
> regardless of tests, or they simplified the tests to the point  
> everyone could pass. So now we have national testing programs that  
> monitor the schools. How is that a failure of imagination?
>
> No one is saying that music or orchestra or band is not good. What  
> they are saying is that, if the school is only able to do a few  
> things, certain studies must take precedence.
>
> Ron D'Eau Claire


Yes.  There must be a hierarchy that accurately reflects our intended  
goals and the values that we espouse.

In my opinion, the goal of our public education system is the  
production of graduates who can perform the requirements of an  
informed citizenry and who can function successfully in our  
commercial economy.  To that end, those academic areas that  
encourage  the acquisition of desirable knowledge and facilitate the  
learning of needed skills are beneficial.  The programs of study that  
deliver an "education" to our students most efficiently are the  
programs that should be provided.  One size does not fit all, and a  
program that is efficient for 90 percent of the students may be the  
worst possible approach for 10 percent of the students.  I understand  
that we require universal attendance by the school age residents, so  
should we also have a goal of educating all of the attendees?

That said, we should also remember that the test and the goal are not  
the same in this situation.  If we are going to remove educational  
opportunities so that we have more time to "teach to the test", we  
need to ensure that the test closely approximates the real  
necessities of an informed citizenry and contributing members of  
society.

I work at a liberal arts college.  What place does a liberal arts  
education have in the modern technical world?  What does it offer  
that engineering, science or business administration schools cannot  
better provide?  Look at the current administration and see what  
happens when goal oriented people act independent of any concept of  
the public good, without any concept of history or understanding of  
other cultures.  Rove, Cheney, Gonzales, Rice and company are all  
intelligent, well educated people.  I am certain that they would test  
well, but they are not fully rounded and that shortage has truly hurt  
our country.  We have a public interest in the success of our public  
figures, and we have a public interest in the skills of our voting  
public.  Can those necessary values be taught?  I suppose they are  
contained in a classical liberal arts education.  And can they be  
tested?  I don't know.

To the task of reaching our public goals, is music a necessity or a  
luxury?  Perhaps instead of asking what percentage of our students  
participate in music programs, we could ask what percentage of the  
"founding fathers (and mothers)" of this country taught music to  
their families as part of a complete education?

David