McGill Speaks Out Against High Stakes Testing

It's no secret in Scarsdale what Superintentendent Michael McGill thinks about state testing, teaching to the tests and evaluating teachers on the results of their student's performance on these exams. Calling it "idealogical madness," McGill, who will retire in June after 16 years in Scarsdale, has just written an article in Education Week in which he speaks out against what he calls "corporate reforms" at schools which have produced "an obsession with numbers."

He says "a real education leaves room for teachers to teach what they love and for students to initiate their learning." He contends there is "no one solution to the different challenges that confront our schools."  He asks for recognition that teachers are critical in the learning process and encourages investment in their professional development, rather than "naming and shaming" them when students don't measure up.

Read the entire article here: