pointcounterpoint
Does the U.S Education System Support Innovation?
YES
I know our sys-
tem is flawed. My
entire career as a
teacher has hap-
pened during the
age of high-stakes
testing. At one
point, the state came in to evaluate
my school—strangers deciding where
we as teachers went wrong—because
we had failed to meet adequate yearly
progress. Part of my job has been to
console children who have broken
into tears or worse due to the stress of
taking the annual test. Like many oth-
ers, I made the decision to never teach
to the test, based on the simple idea
that if my students are learning, the
test shouldn’t be a problem.
And yet, I have no doubt that the
U.S. education system allows for innovative schools across the country,
from Science Leadership Academy
in Philadelphia to High Tech High in
San Diego. It is not the access to technology that makes these schools and
others like them innovative, but the
commitment of administrators and
teachers to developing active learning
in their own classrooms.
The U.S. government supports such
innovation in the education system by
supplying the money needed to create
innovative programs. My district has
greatly benefited from federal grants
to supply new technology and, most
recently, Wi-Fi in a building that is
more than 40 years old.
Of course, these are just tools. The
teachers are the ones developing the
lessons that allow our students to
think and create. And the students are
creating their own opportunities by
bringing their own devices from home
and using them to get engaged in their
learning.
Could the government do more? If
Arne Duncan had a press conference
today announcing an “Innovation
Initiative,” what would that even look
like? Would there be an innovation
test for students who track their innovative thoughts through the grades?
Would teachers get bonuses if they
produced innovators? It sounds silly
because it is. Innovation cannot be
replicated on a large scale. Innovation
NO
The U.S. edu-
cational system
does not develop
innovators. In-
creasingly, it has
become a force
that actually hin-
ders innovative thought and action.
To understand why, consider the
contrast between the world of the
student and that of the innovator.
Successful students follow direc-
tions, complete the assignments
given to them, and do well on tests.
They are able to budget their time
and attention across a range of indi-
vidual subjects and are extrinsically
motivated by grades and graduation
requirements. They demonstrate
their learning of a standard cur-
riculum in forms dictated by ei-
ther their teachers or standardized
evaluations.
