7/28/08

Columbus Dispatch Blog

Simone Sebastian

The growing emphasis on student testing has been decried by teachers, students and parents in Columbus – and in many public schools around the country.

At a community meeting led by the Columbus Education Association earlier this month, few, if any, of the participants (including students, teachers and residents) chose testing as the best way to reduce achievement gaps. They preferred increasing school resources and improving school-community relations.

But Laura Bush maintains that No Child Left Behind, which uses testing as a way of holding schools accountable for student learning, will be a positive highlight of the president’s legacy.

USA Today recently wrote this story about Laura Bush’s defense of the program and student testing.

Student achievement in Columbus has improved in recent years. But it’s difficult, if not impossible, to pinpoint a specific cause for the improvement. Do you think testing has helped local schools? Or does it only make improving student learning more difficult?