Photo: Tiina Lehmusvaara
Top critic of American education policy Diane Ravitch gives lecture at CIMO
Research Professor of Education at New York University Diane Ravitch shared her views with Finnish educationalists in CIMO on September 20, when she expounded on the collapse of the American dream of education. Ravitch is critical of standard testing of pupils, of using private yet publicly financed charter schools to drive educational reform and of the growing influence of philanthropists behind educational policies.
Her critique is all the more interesting in light of her background as Assistant Secretary in the U.S. Department of Education in the administration of President George H.W. Bush, where she contributed to the creation of assessment-based educational policies.
Her book The Death and Life of Great American School System, published in 2010, made Ravitch the best-known critic of American educational policy. She tours the United States to lecture on the detrimental effects that the No Child Left Behind law and the current Race to the Top programme have had on the American education system. She frequently refers to Finland as an example of a public-service model in education, where one of the objectives is also to promote social equality and equal opportunity.
Ravitch became fascinated by the Finnish education system after learning of Finland’s achievements in the PISA surveys (OECD Programme for International Student Assessment). She argues that the Finnish success is rooted in highly educated, highly motivated and highly responsible teachers, whose professionalism engenders respect.
While the United States has lost sight of children learning in diverse and individual ways, such child-centred ideas are the very premises of the Finnish education system, says Ravitch. American teacher training and teachers’ working conditions also leave a lot to be desired, and there is little respect for the teaching profession. In fact, it is widely believed that the job can be done without much in the way of qualifications.
The crux of Ravitch’s criticism is the standard testing system which measures the results of American pupils and schools. School work is driven by success in the tests, and the pupils are coached to do well in the exams while other subjects are being neglected. This narrows education, pupils end up without knowledge and competences required at later stages of education, and there is a heightened risk of marginalisation.
Having to do well in tests also intensifies insecurity felt by teachers, because poor test scores lead to teachers and principals being dismissed. Teachers have even resorted to changing pupils’ test answers for fear of losing their job.
During this first visit to Finland, Diane Ravitch visited several Finnish schools and was able to see in practice how the Finnish education system works. Her lecture was part of a series of CIMO Forum events directed at CIMO’s key interest groups on education, training, work and mobility.
(20 October 2011 / TL)