Compare and contrast the Glorious Revolution of England, the American Revolution, and the French Revolution and their
enduring effects worldwide on the political expectations for self-government and
individual liberty.
How long would it take to teach this
standard so that students acquire in-depth understanding? A teacher could
easily spend an entire year on this single
standard—but this is only one of 49
similar standards 10th grade teachers
must cover.
I purposefully use the word cover
because that is what teachers must do to
get students through the amount of material required to generate test scores that
will appease administrators, school board
members, and parents. Breadth is now
winning out over depth in most subjects.
Science curriculum frameworks in the
United States, for example, are loaded
with more topics than frameworks of
other countries (Cavanagh, 2009).
It’s good to have standards for what
students should know, of course. But
when there are too many standards, in-depth teaching gets thrown out the
window, and schools start producing
memorizers instead of thinkers. And
when coverage trumps depth, close
reading—the kind students need to
develop their ability to read critically—
gives way to surface-level, “one and
done” reading.
Reversing the Trend
We must ask whether teaching in a
coverage mode serves the long-term
interests of our students as readers. If
we look at students’ critical reading
scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Test
(SAT) from 2002 to 2009, during the
time NCLB has been in effect, we see a
slight increase in points for several
years, followed by a decline to below
the average score for 2002 (Gewertz,
2009). Isn’t it interesting that although
many districts tout rising test scores at
the local level, reading scores on a key
Teachers now chop
great books into
so many pieces
that the books
cease being great.
national assessment are in decline?
One recent study, in fact, found that
nearly one-third of states have lowered
their academic proficiency standards in
reading and mathematics to make it
easier for schools to make adequate
yearly progress under NCLB (Dillon,
2009). Reading scores may be “rising” in
districts across the country, but when
one looks at a national assessment like
the SAT, it seems our brightest students
are actually regressing.
Clearly, the “coverage” approach is
not working. It’s time to bring depth
back into the curriculum. Our students
would be much better served if we
taught them fewer concepts, slowed
down, and taught them to think.
FACTOR 2:
Schools limit authentic reading
experiences.
I currently teach five periods of 9th
grade English at Magnolia High School
in Anaheim, California. More than one-half of my students are socio-economi-cally disadvantaged. The student body
is 68 percent Hispanic; more than one-third are English language learners, and
nearly 40 languages are spoken on
campus.
Although my students have passed
innumerable tests in their journey to
high school, they are shockingly
unaware of what is happening in the
world. For example, only a small
percentage can tell me the name of the
vice president of the United States. Not
a single student can name the chief
justice of the Supreme Court, and only a
handful can define the rights protected
by the 4th amendment to the U.S.
Constitution. On the other hand, almost
every student can name the four judges
on American Idol. More than half of my
seniors last year did not understand that
newspapers have editorial sections.
These students have since passed all
their tests and graduated; they are the
next generation in charge.
Reversing the Trend
Teachers should be guiding students in
real-world reading, assigning critical
reading of magazines, newspapers, Web
sites, and blogs that provide background knowledge about U.S. society,
key political players and issues, and
students’ own role as informed participants. At Magnolia High, for example,
all students are given an article of the
week to read every Monday. These articles are selected to shore up students’
lack of prior knowledge about life
outside high school.
FACTOR 3:
Teachers overteach books.
On my desk is a copy of the Los Angeles
Unified School District’s guide to
teaching To Kill a Mockingbird. This
guide contains overarching questions,
chapter study questions, essay questions, vocabulary lessons, activities for
specific chapters, guided reading
