To the Editor:
Re “The Slump in Student Achievement Persists” (The Upshot, May 16):
Our tragic educational decline requires preaching as well as teaching. The teachers are the foot soldiers, but we have no generals inspiring the entire population, not just the students, to find the pleasure in deep and rational knowledge.
There are many smaller reasons like social media for student distractions, but the overarching culture is one that favors shallow entertainment rather than a rigorous education athleticism. From the highest levels of government to the kitchen tables, education is disparaged, often for political reasons.
What we need more than anything is a Martin Luther King Jr.-type figure to inspire, through eloquent rhetoric, the value and beauty of knowledge and the adventure of learning.
David Ligare Carmel Valley, Calif.
To the Editor:
I was struck by an assumption in this article: that declining test scores mean something negative. What if we are testing the wrong things to determine student progress?
I don’t think kids are getting dumber, so perhaps they are learning something else besides a curriculum that may no longer be relevant to their lives or futures.
Perhaps they no longer need to focus on the minutiae of sentence structure, and instead what’s going to be relevant to them is an ability to scan vast quantities of information to process and identify meaning in it, i.e., scrolling. They are unconsciously aware of that and adapting.
So perhaps it’s not the kids who are the problem, but our outdated educational system. That’s what’s fallen behind. The kids’ learning abilities might be just fine, and the tests are just for the wrong things.
Jessica Morton Llanfairfechan, Wales
To the Editor:
The recent data on falling math and reading scores will be troubling for many parents because they signal a crisis in our education system. Yet the crisis that these scores suggest extends far beyond the school.
Literacy and math knowledge are foundational to students’ learning how to think critically. Without the ability to think critically, our youth are easily victimized by the machinations of predatory capitalism, autocracy and propaganda.
Although it is true, as stated in the report, that there are many reasons for these deteriorating test scores, the normalization of phone culture in young people’s lives has been shown to correlate directly with their diminished literacy in both math and reading.
Eric J. Weiner New York The writer is a professor of education at Montclair State University in New Jersey.
To the Editor:
I had a boss decades ago who said, “People do what is inspected, not what is expected.”
We reduced federal accountability when No Child Left Behind ended, and scores went down. We allowed cellphones and laptops, known distraction machines, in our schools, and scores went down. If we don’t have an objective way to measure progress, we can’t hold teachers and school administrations accountable.
It seems that the politician’s answer is always to throw more money at this problem. Perhaps better answers lie in setting high standards, eliminating the device distraction from the classroom, having objective measures of student progress and holding those responsible for delivering a good education to our students accountable.
We are in a global environment in which education, critical thinking and creative skills will define the success of nations. We are not just failing our children; we are also jeopardizing our future as a nation.
Phil Shevrin Lexington, Mass.
The Yuppie Factor
To the Editor:
Re “We Still Live in the World That Yuppies Created,” by Dylan Gottlieb (Opinion guest essay, May 10):
Mr. Gottlieb’s essay provides an insightful analysis of the world yuppies created, including their prevalence in the ever more important financial services sector of the economy. It correctly notes the populist backlash, whether from Ohio to Staten Island, that was successfully exploited and fueled by Donald Trump.
It is ironic, however, that the backlash has yet to impose any monetary costs on that financial sector. After all, the result of the triumph of Mr. Trump and his allies has meant only less regulation and lower taxes for the financial sector.
Meanwhile, blue-collar America is no better off and struggles to keep up with inflation and obtain medical care. Thus, it is perhaps too early to declare winners and losers. Or is the answer that the haves always win?
James Brigagliano Arlington, Va.
The post Falling Test Scores: Reasons and Fixes appeared first on New York Times.
