In his first major education speech as president, Barack Obama unveiled a potentially controversial plan that includes merit-based teacher pay, a longer school
year, tracking of individual students' progress and removal of restrictions on charter schools.
"Despite resources that are unmatched anywhere in the world, we
have let our grades slip, our schools crumble, our teacher quality fall short and other nations outpace us," he said. "The relative decline of American education is
untenable for our economy, unsustainable for our democracy and unacceptable for our children. We cannot afford to let it continue. What is at stake is nothing
less than the American dream."
Learning Activity
One of the education priorities that President Obama favors is to reform the No Child Left Behind Act by changing the accountability provisions away from sole
reliance on standardized testing. Leading Issues includes this issue and more than 100 others that help students develop 21st-century critical thinking skills in the
context of studying real-world controversial issues.
Assign students either a pro or con position on the Leading Issue of "Educational Tests and Measurements."
Click the Pro vs. Con "more issues" link. Click the issue and then the My Analysis tab. My Analysis provides the unique five-step process that ensures critical
thinking. Step three helps students gather the facts and expert opinion on the issue.
Step four provides the essential questions for critical thinking (you can add or substitute others):
Is standardized testing necessary to measure and evaluate what students have learned?
Should students be denied promotion or diplomas based on the results of one test?
Does standardized testing make teachers more accountable for what their students learn?
Is standardized testing unfair to disadvantaged and minority students?
Learning Activity
SIRS Leading Issues also provides the 21st-century models that help students address these essential questions in a variety of formats:
Step five: Apply your knowledge: Using the guidelines provided, apply what you've learned to one of the formats below:
Click the appropriate link to open it.
Guide to Writing a Research Paper (student).
Guide to Writing a Mini-Research Paper (teacher and student versions).
Guide to Creating a PowerPoint Presentation (student).
Guide to Creating a Mini-Debate Outline (teacher and student versions).
