The Billion-Dollar Problem in Education | Tanishia Lavette Williams | TED

Summary

The speaker criticizes the expensive and pervasive habit of standardized testing in American education, arguing that it fails to improve teacher practice or foster critical thinking and creativity in students. They share personal experiences of the stress and anxiety these tests cause and suggest that education quality can be enhanced by reducing reliance on standardized assessments. Instead, they advocate for investing in teacher resources and empowering educators to make pedagogical decisions, ultimately calling for a shift towards nurturing problem-solving skills and innovative thinking in students.

Takeaways

• 📚 Standardized testing is a deeply ingrained and expensive habit in American education, with a history dating back centuries.
• 🧠 The outcomes of standardized assessments significantly impact students' futures, including college admissions and school funding.
• 📈 The standardized testing industry is a billion-dollar business, influencing educational policies and resource distribution.
• 📊 Standardized tests often fail to improve teacher practice or foster critical thinking and creativity in students.
• 🏫 The speaker's personal experience as an educator suggests that learning and teaching are more effective outside the context of high-stakes testing.
• 🌐 The curriculum and assessments in New York City schools, as an example, reflect a lack of diversity in the representation of historical figures.
• 📉 There is a disparity in the portrayal of different races and genders in educational materials, which can perpetuate inequities.
• 🔄 The data from standardized assessments is more closely tied to political economy than to actual classroom instruction.
• 🔄 The current system focuses on memorization rather than developing the skills needed for an evolving society.
• 💡 The speaker advocates for a strategic disinvestment in standardized testing and a reinvestment in teaching methods that build thinkers and creators.
• 📝 Policymakers should consider sampling tests instead of universal testing to save resources and provide more instructional time.

Q & A

What is the speaker's main argument against standardized assessments?

The speaker argues that standardized assessments do not improve teacher practice, do not build thinkers and creators in students, and are part of an expensive system that focuses on memorization rather than critical thinking and creativity.

How does the speaker describe the history of standardized testing in the United States?

The speaker mentions that standardized testing in the U.S. dates back to around 1845, but the practice of testing and labeling children began even before the country was established, making it a deeply embedded part of the American educational cycle.

What is the role of standardized testing in defining racial achievement gaps?

Standardized testing is used as a mechanism to define racialized achievement gaps, which can perpetuate stereotypes and inequalities rather than addressing the root causes of these disparities.

How does the speaker suggest that education quality can be improved?

The speaker suggests that education quality can be improved through a strategic disinvestment in standardized testing as a form of accountability, and by shifting the focus back into the classroom where teachers can make pedagogical decisions.

What is the significance of the data visualization used by the speaker?

The data visualization is used to represent the racial and gender diversity of the people studied in U.S. history classes, highlighting the potential inequities in the curriculum and the narratives presented to students.

What does the speaker mean by 'tinker thinkers'?

By 'tinker thinkers,' the speaker refers to individuals who are encouraged to think creatively and solve problems, which is a skill that the current standardized testing system does not effectively foster.

How does the speaker propose to address the issue of racialized hierarchies of intelligence?

The speaker suggests that by divesting from standardized assessments and investing in a more inclusive and diverse educational approach, we can challenge and dismantle racialized hierarchies of intelligence.

What is the speaker's view on the political economy of standardized assessments?

The speaker believes that the data from standardized assessments feeds more into a political economy than into classroom instruction, as it does not focus on building teacher capacity or deepening students' knowledge.

What alternative does the speaker propose for assessing student learning?

The speaker proposes sample testing as an alternative, which would be easier, cheaper, faster, and would allow for more instructional hours to be dedicated to actual learning rather than testing.

What is the speaker's call to action for federal and state policymakers?

The speaker urges policymakers to consider sample testing instead of testing every single child, which would be more efficient and effective in allocating resources and improving educational outcomes.

How does the speaker encourage teachers and students to approach learning?

The speaker encourages teachers to ask questions that have no known answers and to pose challenging scenarios, fostering an environment that cultivates critical thinking and creativity in students.