An Educational Contrarian

That question is one that we absolutely must ask ourselves in 2013. Policy makers adopted an educational formula that imposes behavioral statements as educational standards, standardized tests as the basis for all quality determinations, and accountability to those tests as if they capture the bulk of what students should have learned over the year. The system cannot be said to be working effectively by anyone examining the overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Our standing internationally continues to head in the wrong direction, curriculum winds up limited by the tested material, and the goal of a K-12 education to produce students ready to face the worlds of college and work seems ever further away. The response, however, is the system of standards, standardized tests, and accountability is itself just fine—in spite of the limited evidence the system is moving us closer to the overall goals—and we just need to do two things: fine tune a few of the parts, and really hold...

At a conference this week I heard a panel attempt to define what personalized learning is. It was interesting, all over the board, and inconclusive. I felt for the educators given the challenges they faced and their willingness to try something new. What was missing from the conversation was a defined rationale. The panel agreed it was the right thing to do, but at no point did I hear them offer a reason that was compelling. It was like they sensed it and yet weren't quite sure how to give voice to their logic. What I hoped to hear was the idea that individualized learning is about moving from the current state of things where time is a constant with the result that achievement varies widely, to one where the level of proficiency is the constant and time, effort, and the instructional path by which each student arrives at that point are the variables. The path would be determined explicitly against a student's needs. The lack of a rationale for any educational endea...