Understanding the Issues: Education

[onlydarksets]

Originally Posted by firstdown

While I agree teachers get stuck teaching to the test isn't it the basic stuff kids nee to know?

Not really. Teaching to the test is helping the kids figure out how to pick the right answer, as opposed to teaching them the fundamentals that allow them to understand why the answer they chose was correct. The former skill becomes useless when the test is over, while the latter is a base for the next year's education. Skipping the base leaves you with pretty much nothing.

Watch season 4 of the Wire. It may be hyperbole (or maybe not), but it highlights the problem.