Worms for Reading

The June 15 Wall Street Journal's center column front page story is on the "stunts" principals are doing across the country to psych students (usally elementary or early middle) up for "high stakes" tests. Eating worms, kissing pigs, dressing in funny costumes ... you know the gig.

[T]the Hampton Daily Press, editorialized against "principals promising to do silly things" if students pass the state test, known in Virginia as the Standards of Learning tests.

Such a "proliferation of hoopla," the paper wrote, "consumes time, ratchets up students' (and teachers') anxiety and feeds the perception that SOL tests are the focal point of education, not a tool."

Yep.

Susan Ohanian, a former teacher, education critic and author of "One Size Fits Few: The Folly of Educational Standards," posted an item about Mr. Gaston on her Web site under the headline, "How does a principal dressing up in a pink tutu improve education?" Ms. Ohanian recalls a former student of hers who as a grown man told her she had taught him to love books. "I'm glad he can remember me for that," says Ms. Ohanian, "and not for eating worms."

I haven't read Ms. Ohanian's book, and I doubt I'd agree with her extensively, but on this one I'm on her side.

The article also mentions the Acclerated Reader program. This is a computer program that tests students on books they read and gives "points" awarded for each book. I've not only had both my sons in schools that used this program, I've seen the value-added based study that evidences its effectiveness. But, and it is a BIG BUT, my experience and observation, both personally and on the school board, is that once students get to about 7th grade, teachers quit expecting them to read! Twenty-five books per year (less than one every two weeks) is conceivable to elementary teachers. It is unthinkable for most high school teachers. I suspect that, if high school faculties really had time to work together on improving student learning, they would pretty rapidly begin to focus on increased reading. And, for that matter, what hits most students when they get to a good college? The reading load.