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No Child Left Behind: Researcher Finds Misplaced Focus on High-Stakes Testing |
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From Ascribe Newsfeed: New research by University of Maryland Education Associate Professor Linda Valli provides clear evidence that the No Child Left Behind Act's focus on high-stakes testing has "actually undermined the quality of teaching in reading and math." Valli says that declines her research found in high quality teaching are directly related to "the pressure teachers were feeling to 'teach to the test'. In a recent interview by the College of Education's Bruce Jacobs, Valli talked about her research and recent appointment as the inaugural holder of the Jeffrey and David Mullan Professorship in Teacher Education-Professional Development at the University of Maryland. I am now finishing up a five-year study on fourth and fifth grade reading and math instruction, trying to better understand what good teachers do to help students who are struggling at grade level. I will use my new professorship to work with my colleagues here in the department to create computer-simulated experiences of teacher learning - classroom scenarios where pre-service teachers would have to decide what to do based on teacher theory and best practices. We started planning the study in 2000, before the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act and the subsequent emphasis on testing. The task for teacher educators is to help teachers meet these new challenges in ways that are healthy for both them and their students. It is increasingly important for us to help teachers create supportive communities in their schools, to involve parents and to find oases of support among other teachers and administrators.
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