What Is the Deeper Truth about JCPS Students Performing at, or above, Grade Level?
By John Mark Eberhardt
Remembering vividly my experiences with standardized testing as a JCPS student - I was never a fan. As an adult, working to ensure our youth successfully complete higher education, I cannot say my perspective has changed dramatically. However, I realize standardized testing is not on the brink of fading away. Therefore, as an educator, I am held to the responsibility of preparing our youth for academic and civic success. So, what does that mean?
When reviewing the education section of the 2010 Competitive City Report, immediately I recognize our youth began to either decline or stop growth in the areas of reading , math and science in 2005. Now, since I’m not a statistical research genius, I believe JCPS is examining what changed prior to, and during, 2005 that would impact our students to begin trending down in these areas of performance. Obviously, something significant occurred to affect our youth. What is that?
In a previous blog, Gwendolyn Kelly challenged us to “see children as individuals.” Though she focused on the achievement gap, I believe the same can be said about how we ensure quality education for our children. I’m not sure about you, but for me education was much more than “making the grade.”
I cannot recall many of the courses I took in college, from an academic point-of-view; however, I do recall how many of the courses impacted my life - during college and beyond.
I fear we have shifted from providing a holistic educational experience for our youth, to churning out numbers (test scores) to produce more money. In nations that have outperformed our educational system (we are 12th in the world; in 1980 we were 1st), education is a part of the national culture. I fear we have misplaced our educational focus, and we have transformed our renowned educational system into another business-driven model. The focus must return to our youth and their education. What do I mean by this?
As referenced above, in describing my college experience, education is much more than textbooks and test taking. Education is about the arts, physical activity, and civic engagement. I believe education’s greatest gift may be how we teach our youth to effectively interact with others while applying the knowledge they acquired from the school setting. While the urgency to address our performance is real, I pray we do not burn out our youth by demanding too much of them at a much faster rate than they can respond.
Thus, as it is expressed in the report, this is our greatest opportunity for success. I sincerely believe as a collaborative, our community can progressively turn our situation around. As a part of that collaborative, I suggest we fully engage all efficient resources: grassroots, parents, teachers, government, entrepreneurs and—our youth! I sincerely do not believe they were a part of the problem, but I do believe that if we engage them, they can most certainly be a significant contribution to the solution.
As the founder of The Steward's Staff (est. 2007), John Mark serves as Executive Director. In this role, he develops and manages the facilitation of after-school programs throughout the Jefferson County Public School system, empowering youth to become community leaders. Since its inception, The Steward's Staff has served hundreds youth, awarded thousands in scholarships and escorted hundreds of youth on college tours throughout the Midwest and Southeast.