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Education Reform:
A Logical Overview
Shaun Kerry, M.D.
Diplomate, American Board
of Psychiatry and Neurology
Logic is Based on assumptions. Given this method of reasoning,
if our assumptions are faulty, then our logic is built on a foundation
of sand. |
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Many articles about the politics of education
are based on the assumption that good education is entirely
measurable by standardized test scores. This narrow-minded
assumption not only damages the lives of countless students, but also
wastes huge amounts of money.According to an
article printed in the September 8, 2001 edition of The Los Angeles Times, approximately 600
campuses may receive $200 million for under-performing schools.
The article goes on to state that the 'under-performing' status is
based entirely on the
Stanford 9
academic achievement test scores.
Educators might argue that mindfulness is not measurable, and
therefore, not meaningful.
My response is that psychiatrists measure this quality routinely using
an objective test called the mental status exam. Rather than a
written examination, this test is based on an oral conversation.
A mindful teacher will do this automatically in his or her day-to-day
interaction with the students. The notion that Stanford 9 test
scores measure the effectiveness of education is outrageous,
simplistic, and erroneous.
Each page in this series of web sites represents
a piece of the puzzle that I term "the root causes of social
dysfunction". After reading and understanding each page,
and integrating these concepts together in your mind, the fundamental
picture should become relatively clear.
In our lives, we will encounter both things that
we control and things that we do not. Knowing the
difference between these is critical to navigating through this often
confusing existence. One of the most important aspects that we
can control is faulty logic, with regard to our world-view. |
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When
Galileo said that the earth revolved around the sun, he was
nearly killed for voicing this opinion. But because his opinion
was verifiably true, he ultimately had a great impact on our world
outlook. Similarly, we must examine our beliefs regarding the
functioning of society, a topic infinitely more important to us than the
orbits of celestial bodies. |
If I were forced to choose, from this series of websites, the false
notion
that most critically needs our recognition, it would be the excessive
value that we place on written test scores.
Sometimes, people are concerned with the ideas
that we present
because they are of a radical nature. As in Galileo's case, it
does not matter if these ideas are radical, as long as they are true.
If these notions are verifiable, history tells us that in time, they
will be accepted. Some people argue that although these ideas may
be correct, they will not be implemented into our world-view for a very
long time. Communication, however, is much faster now than it was
in Galileo's time. Each day, approximately twenty unique people
read this web site. Each time one of these people uses the
activism site, nearly one hundred letters are sent to key government
representatives.
Our objective, though a daunting task, is to liberate society by
defining and correcting the most basic misconceptions that
have formed the root cause of our social dysfunction. We refer to
this as "mindful activism." It is energy efficient, has
maximum impact, and its value lasts forever.
Related sites:
School Reform
Healthcare Reform
Political Reform
Education Books
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