If there is one thing that describes the trajectory of American
education, it is this: more high-stakes testing. In the United
States, the debates surrounding this trajectory can be so fierce
that it feels like we are in uncharted waters. As Christopher Bjork
reminds us in this study, however, we are not the first to make
testing so central to education: Japan has been doing it for
decades. Drawing on Japan's experiences with testing, overtesting,
and recent reforms to relax educational pressures, he sheds light
on the best path forward for US schools. Bjork asks a variety of
important questions related to testing and reform: Does testing
overburden students? Does it impede innovation and encourage
conformity? Can a system anchored by examination be reshaped to
nurture creativity and curiosity? How should any reforms be
implemented by teachers? Each chapter explores questions like these
with careful attention to the actual effects policies have had on
schools in Japan and other Asian settings, and each draws direct
parallels to issues that US schools currently face. Offering a
wake-up call for American education, Bjork ultimately cautions that
the accountability-driven practice of standardized testing might
very well exacerbate the precise problems it is trying to solve.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!