| Of Cabbages:
Newsweek released it's 3rd "1,200 Best High Schools" report today, which leaves me a little sick to my stomach as if I've had my share of rotten vegatables. For the concerned parties: our alma mater, Mira Loma HS, fell to #249 in the rankings this year from #214 for the Class of 2004. Other Sacramento area high schools rolled in at: #725 - Granite Bay HS, #758 - Rio Americano HS, and #786 - Kennedy HS.
Gossip aside, there are some serious issues with this report. Let's ignore the biased sample fallacy that arises as due to pure statistics, the few are representing the many. The fact is, at most of these schools, the top 20% are probably taking 80% of the reported exams. What percent actually took an exam should be taken into consideration. Also important is who foots the bill for the tests as it influences the likelihood of the student to sit for the exam. Still, even forgiving these inconsistencies, the basis behind the rankings are fundamentally flawed.
The index, as derived by Mr. Matthews, is based on the total number of AP and IB tests attempted by the student body divided by the size of the graduating senior class to account for variation in school size. The feature includes an interview with a graduating Stanford-bound senior who recalls his experience with failing his first AP test and touting that it is not uncommon for seniors at his school to have attempted over 10 AP exams as testimonial of the wonder of the AP exam. The point? That standarized testing builds character and we should be encouraging our youth to take as many as possible. Matthews argues that challenging students from less advantaged backgrounds to take these exams is the solution to the US's K-12 education gap.
But what of course depth? The curriculum outlined by these exams is remarkably rigid, even with the inclusion of "options for examination." It fails to illustrate how teachers are stimulating the classroom environment with hands-on experiences, current events, and problem solving. Students with excellent exposure to quantum physics, advanced calculus, computer programming etc may not be as inclined to sit for an AP exam in literature or history. Yet when they're weighed on this scale they come up short to students with exposure to a wide range of subjects but not neccessarily mastery of any. Who is to decide of the superiority of one over the other?
But what of extracurriculars? I may be the quinessential example for Mr. Matthews's model: from a neighborhood where the graduation rate is only 60%, both AP and IB exams attempted in 10 subjects and now attending a four year institution. An academic rigor success story one might say. Yet when I look back at my HS experience, that's not what I see. I see practices and meetings, competitions and community service, roadtrips and overnights. Ask any student about their experience with standardized tests and the eyes will roll. Ask them about sports, academic competitions, clubs, band, theatre and community service, and the stories will roll. That's when they actually grow with their peers and their advisors. I'd suggest that it is this exposure to others and the real world that creates the context for academics. Thus, it might be a much more effective algorithm to the a factor of number of school sponsored activities (breadth) and the number of student participating (depth) divided by graduating class size to measure a school's effectiveness.
Of Kings:
Yesterday, an Israeli bomb hit a UN observation post in Lebanon, killing UN observers from China, Canada, Austria, and Finland, countries not currently engaged in the now worldwide conflict. Reports indicate that 9 different positions have been hit, counting 12 from many nations among the dead. I can't help but have a horrible sinking feeling. Is this how people felt on the eve of WWII? In a war where other governing factions supercede nations and where enemies and allies cannot be divided among political borders, how can this be diplomatically resolved? What kind of new world order is in our futures?
Three years ago, in my international relations class at JSA Georgetown, we all felt that it was an exciting time to be discussing diplomacy. Our professor punctured such enthusiasm with the warning that this was far from over. Who would have thought that'd be such an understatement. |
