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The Academic Achievement Challenge

by Jeanne Chall

The Academic Achievement Challenge begins with a literally chilling example. The late Jeanne Chall compared two swimming classes. In the teacher-centered class the teacher explicitly teaches five-year-olds. Students followed directions. In the student-centered class the students played around, with some of them merely shivering in a corner.

Composing a 180-page history of education practices is no easy task, but Chall does a splendid job. She writes that excellent teachers can succeed with traditional or progressive practices--or some mixture of both. She argues, however, that the best research evidence suggests that traditional teacher practices are better overall for academic achievement, especially for at-risk children and for teachers who lack the skills or personality to successfully implement progressive methods.

Chall writes, however, that research is either ignored or selectively chosen to support what educators prefer. A noteworthy examination of 800 studies by Herbert Wahlberg finds important factors include "cues, engagement, [quick] feedback and reinforcement." Also: "frequent testing and quizzes, questioning in science, homework with teacher comments, homework with grades, remedial feedback in science, explicit and direct teaching." Chall argues that these characteristics are more common in teacher-centered classrooms.

It is easy to see the impulses that gave rise to the progressive classroom. Education is supposed to benefit children now and in the future. Yet many traditional classrooms had a tendency to evolve in stupefying and stultifying directions. Progressive education was the reaction. Unfortunately, progressive education often became even more mind numbing. According to Roland S. Barth: "Many have turned to open education through insecurity; they are permissive because they are afraid that if they are strung; the children will reject them."--yet the open educators are more likely to be rejected. Ultra-conservatism has numerous cultural contradictions and so does student-centered education: A more democratic classroom leads to a less democratic nation. A skeptic might believe that the main purpose of conservative education is to produce compliant, ignorant wage-slaves, while the main purpose of liberal education is to produce vacuous, wrongheaded rebels.

Among the places where the teacher centered and student centered battle takes place is in reading, with phonics identified with teacher-centered and whole-language identified with student centered. Chall conducted much research in this area. She concludes that many children simply cannot learn well using whole language methods. And this has serious consequences. Not only can they not read their reading class materials, but also they cannot read other subject matter, making them likely to fall behind or fail in other classes. Many college students read below a ninth grade level, jeopardizing their ability and willingness to seek out and understand complex thoughts in science, philosophy, etc.

Chall argues that schools may have improved slightly in the past ten years, but not near as much as they should. Working hard is a standard that all students should be held to. As Bertrand Russell puts it: "many things that must be thought about are uninteresting and even those that are interesting at first often become very wearisome before they have been considered as long as is necessary. The power of giving prolonged attention is very important"--and often leads to new interests. Lower standards and poor enforcement often lead to increased boredom.

The Man and Lawrence analysis of schools indicates the characteristics of good schools include having excellent teachers and principals, high standards, focus on basic education, frequent pupil evaluation, good school environments, and teachers who spend much more time interacting with the whole class rather than with individual students. Tough standards and enforcement at the beginning of the school year improve many other factors.

The Academic Achievement Challenge suffers from a lack of specific national recommendations and does not factor in heredity. A national exam required to pass a course would help unite teachers and students in pursuing achievement. Students currently view teachers with high standands as arbitrarily imposing work that stands in the way of students' other goals. Many students avoid teachers who are known to demand achievement. It would be better for almost everyone if students viewed the test as the work of jerks rather than viewing their teachers as jerks.

Chall argues against the current emphasis on readiness, individual student differences, and student choice especially for young children. Studies suggest that readiness can be developed. We should meet standards even if it means summer school. "School factors are the strongest predictors of achievement." Highly Recommended.

-- J.T. Fournier

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