You, Your Child, and School by Ken Robinson

Is there kids' work on the walls? Exhibitions? That also taps into the overall culture - you know, what sort of values are school promoting and how closely does it work with parents and the broader community? I think these are all reasonable criteria for the health and vitality of a school. It's about asking what assessment's for, and it should ideally be there to support, encourage and inform children's development and achievement.Īnd then the other is the physical environment of the school. Assessment is important, it's a vital part of education and testing can have some constructive and important roles in it. I always encourage parents to take a look at the curriculum.Īlso look at the quality of teaching, that's the next thing. But the arts, the humanities, physical education, are just as important. The emphasis on STEM - science technology engineering and math - they're very important. We've seen a reduction in things like arts programs, in recess, in practical vocational programs, because they're not subject to these tests. So there's been a narrowing of the curriculum in many areas. Testing tends to focus schools, for understandable reasons, on the areas on which they themselves are going to be judged politically. You want to make sure that there is a real balance and dynamism in the school curriculum.

One of the things to look at is the balance of the curriculum - which in shorthand is what it is we want kids to learn, and learn from. There's so much pressure for them to believe that a good school is defined by high test scores and high rates of entrance to college and university, but there's a lot more to education than that. Your purchase helps support NPR programming. Close overlay Buy Featured Book Title You, Your Child, and School Subtitle Navigate Your Way to the Best Education Author Ken, Sir, Ph.D.

You, Your Child, and School by Ken Robinson