The poorly written standardized tests are just a symptom of a system in which many people, with various interests, have a say in what and how children are to be educated. The result is education by committee -- exactly what the OP is complaining about.
A voucher system would render the educational bureaucracy superfluous. Parents who thought their kids were being poorly served could move them to a different school, or start their own school if nothing else were available.
This isn't as far-fetched as it sounds. Some parents home-school now. There already exists a small industry providing them with educational materials.
I know, this is a radical idea. It hasn't caught on in the 20 or so years since it was first seriously floated -- why would it now? But meanwhile the quality of our kids' education continues to spiral downward. I think the only possible solutions will be radical ones.
The poorly written standardized tests are just a symptom of a system in which many people, with various interests, have a say in what and how children are to be educated. The result is education by committee -- exactly what the OP is complaining about.
A voucher system would render the educational bureaucracy superfluous. Parents who thought their kids were being poorly served could move them to a different school, or start their own school if nothing else were available.
This isn't as far-fetched as it sounds. Some parents home-school now. There already exists a small industry providing them with educational materials.
I know, this is a radical idea. It hasn't caught on in the 20 or so years since it was first seriously floated -- why would it now? But meanwhile the quality of our kids' education continues to spiral downward. I think the only possible solutions will be radical ones.