They're blinding us with Žscience'
Published: Thursday, February 27, 2003 at 3:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, February 26, 2003 at 11:00 p.m.
Dear Editor: I want to thank Professor John Petrovic ("My Turn," Feb. 9) for taking a deeper look at the issue of school accountability and the effects of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCBLA). As a parent, I've been disturbed by the way this mania for testing has influenced what goes on in my children's classrooms. When I ask questions about certain practices, the answer is "accountability." If I persist in seeking more of an explanation, the answer becomes "science."
"These tests are scientific," one administrator assured me, leaving me to feel a bit like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. ("Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.") A little research of my own in the area of reading instruction revealed what I'd suspected: This so-called science does not exist. The unsound and biased claims that inform the NCBLA are being used to rob our children of the quality education they deserve.
I hope that despite the substantial pressures of the NCBLA, parents, teachers, administrators and politicians can bring our attention back to what's best for children. I hope we can resist being deceived, intimidated and silenced by the word "science."
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