“PBS Frontline: Learning Matters: Testing Our Schools.”

ADD QUOTES TO THE SUMMARY TO ILLUSTRATE THE POINTS I'M MAKING!

Source:

“PBS Frontline: Learning Matters: Testing Our Schools.” Prod. and Ed. John D. Tulenko. Correspondent John Merrow. PBS. Youtube.com. 18 April 2012. Web. 10 March 2015.

You can watch this program here.

Summary

This documentary takes a critical look at No Child Left Behind’s most obvious effect: standardized testing. John Merrow raises many pertinent questions about the validity of tests: the weight that is put on them in terms of school funding, rankings, and closures, the difficulty some schools have passing them, and the loss of diverse curriculum they may be causing. The piece examines several states’ implementation of NCLB, measures the effects of NCLB across the nation, and asks teachers, students, and experts about their firsthand experiences with the program.

Quality

Frontline is a very well respected source. According to Frontline.org, it has won many Peabody Awards, many Emmy Awards, and a Pulitzer Prize (“Awards”). John Merrow, primary correspondent for the piece, has won, “Emmy nominations in 1984, 2005, and 2007, four CINE Golden Eagles, numerous awards from the Education Writers Association…[and is]…an occasional contributor to USA Today, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times” (“About John Merrow”).

Issues

This source is older, and a bit biased. Though it was made in 2002, it can give us a snapshot of how people felt about NCLB when it first arrived on the education scene, providing background on the practice of standardized testing and allowing us to put current issues in context. In terms of bias, it leans to the liberal side, giving the opinions of people who support NCLB on occasion, but mostly focusing on questioning the validity of the tests and giving voice to those who are displeased them in whole or in part.   

Key Words and Phrases:

No Child Left Behind

Standardized Testing

Socioeconomic Effects

Standard Deviation

SoL

School Funding

School Closures

Teaching to the Test

Test-Based Graduation

Works Cited

“About John Merrow.” LearningMatters. Learning Matters Inc. 2015. Web. 3 March 2015.

“Awards.” WETAFrontline: About Us: Awards. WGBH Educational Foundation, 2015. Web. 3 March 2015.   

"What Influences Students' Need ForRemediation In College?"

Source: Howell, Jessica S. "What Influences Students' Need ForRemediation In College? Evidence From California." Journal of HigherEducation 82.3 (2011): 292-318. Academic Search Complete. Web. 6Mar. 2015.

Summary:

This source provides a very deep look into a relatively narrow area of the No Child Left Behind debate. The Author, Jessica Howell, examines the need for remediation classes in college, that is, special college classes designed to get people up to grade level, in California colleges and the possible role of NCLB in perpetuating that problem. By examining data from across the state, she found that the need for college remediation correlates with two factors: the student’s race and the degree level of the student’s lower grade teachers. Students who identified as Black or Latino were more likely to need remediation due to the correlation in California between race and socioeconomic disadvantage; students who had teachers with Master’s Degrees or higher in their subject area were less likely to need it.

Quality:

This appears to be a very high-quality source. There is a tremendous amount of data here, and Ms. Howell appears to have spent a tremendous amount of time analyzing it; furthermore, the ways in which certain data were compared to other data were explained thoroughly, gives critical readers plenty of insight in case they were questioning her methodology. For example, when explaining a chart in her study, Howell provides a detailed explanation of the reasons that the graph appears the way it does, “The dependent variable in each regression is the proportion of students from each high school that need remedial math (English) upon entering a CSU campus. Year fixed effects are included in both regressions. ***, **, * indicate statistical significance at the 1%, 5%, and 10% level, respectively” (Harlow 314). Such detailed explanation of her data gives the reader confidence that Howell has thought carefully about her discoveries and the way she presents them.

Issues:

The study has some limitations in its set of observable data and its geographic scope. The study only looks at numerical data, for example, so some non-quantifiable elements can’t be observed. Ms. Howell tell us. “[This study] can only tell us so much [about whether having teachers with master’s degrees will automatically make better classrooms], it is important to recognize that the analysis is not able to control for unobservable teacher attributes that may be important determinants of both master’s degree acquisition and skill in the classroom” (313). Additionally, the study only focuses on California, so we don’t know for sure if that data will apply nationally or on the global stage.

Key Words and Phrases:

No Child Left Behind

College Remediation

Race

Socioeconomic Effects

K-12 Education

"No Child Left Behind: Implications for College Student Learning"

Source: Trolian, Teniell L., and Kristin S. Fouts. "No Child Left Behind: Implications For College Student Learning." About Campus 16.3 (2011): 2-7. Academic Search Complete. Web. 24 Feb. 2015.

Summary: This source presents a generalized discussion about the current concerns regarding No Child Left Behind. It covers many different topics including current teacher concerns, an outline of the NCLB program with a positive spin on its intentions, and a speculative peek into what how NCLB could alter the structure of colleges nationwide. 

Quality: The authors of this piece are both students. The piece looks good in general, displaying a strong tone and citing many sources, but the lack of credentials of the authors, according to the article, both were listed as working in Greek life and one had just been accepted into a philosophical doctorate program, may lead some readers to doubt the article's veracity (3). 

Issues: Apart from the issues with the authors of the article, some structural issues also arise due to the article’s generalized nature. So many topics are covered that none may be delved into deeply. The conclusion of the article illustrates this issue, “…educators should be prepared to proactively respond to the challenges and issues facing student learning in the future” (7). This could be paraphrased to read, “There is a lot going on with this NCLB, so look out.” The article could leave readers with only a vague sense of what, specifically, the most important elements of NCLB are.    

Key Words and Phrases:
No Child Left Behind
Standardized Testing
College Remediation
NCLB Strengths
NCLB Flaws

The Diane Rehm Show: "Rethinking Standardized Testing"

Source: “Rethinking Standardized Testing.” The Dianne Rehm Show. Dianne Rehm. Anya Kamenetz. Mathew Chingos. Elaine Weiss. WAMU 88.5. 18 Feb. 2015. Web. 21 Feb. 2015.

Source: “Rethinking Standardized Testing.” The Dianne Rehm Show. Dianne Rehm. Anya Kamenetz. Mathew Chingos. Elaine Weiss. WAMU 88.5. 18 Feb. 2015. Web. 21 Feb. 
2015.You can listen to the program here.

Summary: This source is a radio broadcast panel discussion from National Public Radio. The discussion was question based, which means it was sort of a hodgepodge of comments based on Ms. Rehm’s questions. The focus was to critique standardized testing in this era of the No Child Left Behind education system.

Quality: This looks like a very high quality source. The host and all of the guests on this very well-known show appear to be experts in their respective fields. Dianne Rehm is a highly respected journalist for National Public Radio who, according to her website, has won a Peabody Award and was awarded a National Humanities Medal from President Barak Obama (“About…”). Elaine Weiss is head of the website A Broader Bolder Approach to Education and “…a cum laude graduate of the Harvard Law School [with a] Ph.D. in public policy from the George Washington University” (“Mission…”). Mathew Chingos is “a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution and Research Director of its Brown Center on Education Policy” (“Matthew…”). Finally, Anya Kamenetz is the author of three books on education including The Test which is an in-depth look at the practice of standardized testing and is, “lead digital education reporter for NPR” (“About”).

Issues: This program is for educated people who know the key terms it moved quickly and few terms, like NEAP for example, were defined. Additionally, though the tone was thoughtful and sounded very objective, none of the guests were really in support of No Child Left Behind. This could lead the show to be biased. The reasons in favor of NCLB were alluded to, but never thoroughly discussed.

Key Words and Phrases:
- Disaggregate
- Gifted Students
- NAPE (National Assessment of Educational Progress)
- No Child Left Behind
- Project vs. Assessment-Based Education
- Parents in Education
- Standardized Testing
- Teaching the Test

Works Cited

“About” Anyakamenetz.net. Wordpress. n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2015.

“About Dianne Rehm.” The Dianne Rehm Show. WAMU 88.5 American University Radio. 2015. Web. 22 Feb. 2015.

“Matthew M. Chingos.” Brookings: Matthew M. Chingos. The Brookings Institution. 2015. Web. 22 Feb. 2015.

“Mission and Who We Are” Broader, Bolder Approach to Education: Mission and Who We Are. Tarek. Boldapproach.org. n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2015.