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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. |  |  |
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. | |  | |
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.
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