America’s reputation for being a land of opportunity and freedom is falling through the cracks. This is a crisis that most Americans are well-aware of, but I argue that NCLB is not being implemented in a way that will fix our problem. Schools are setting aside time separate from the curriculum dedicated to preparing for standardized tests, like the PISA. Learning how to take a standardized test does not foster abstract thinking skills. Instead, this time for practice is creating passive thinkers out of our future generations, and quite frankly, this is just a waste of American’s tax dollars.
In order for children of America to succeed in the years ahead, they need to become innovative leaders. Although the PISA claims to test 15 year olds internationally for these abstract thinking skills, I believe that less time should be devoted to comparing skills cross-culturally by tests and more time should be spent on programs that could actually have a chance at developing these skills in our American students. Perhaps the focus should be taken off the standardized tests and placed into training the educators. An enthusiastic teacher can instill passion and inspiration inside a student, and could change the student’s entire outlook towards education turning them into a more driven and dedicated individual. I know this through personal experience and by listening to other students talk about their experiences with great teachers. Finland is one country that has already experienced success in a program dedicated to training educators. Finland’s program also gives educators more of an incentive to teach by increasing their salary. This may not be the answers to all of our problems, but I believe a program like Finland’s will be much more beneficial than what the NCLB is doing for America today.
-Larisa
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