April 8, 2015

Anyone who doubts the negative effects of an educational system built almost entirely upon the stakes of high risk exams needs to note two sad stories of the past few weeks.

In the United States, eleven Atlanta public school educators were found guilty of racketeering for their roles of helping students cheat on high pressure standardized tests, the kind of tests that were tied to school funding.  Some have seen their story as a sad statement about the biases and prejudices inherent in a system that most likely negatively affects poorer, usually minority-based, districts.  Certainly the charge of racketeering seems an odd one.

Meanwhile, halfway across the world comes a story of students in India being aided in cheating efforts by their parents, including unbelievable photographs of parents climbing walls to pass notes (or answers) through windows.  The Indian government seems at a loss to know what to do.  "Should the government give orders to shoot them?" asks the Bihar Education Minister. No, don't shoot them, but round them up like Al Capone's gang and charge them with organized crime.

I'd like to say I can't decide which of these is worst, but it has to be the story from India.  It is only a matter of time before we hear of a similar story in America, only the pictures will have helicopters dropping these parents on the roofs of testing centers, Mom and Dad jumping out among the whirling blades, texting their kids feverishly,  "Pythagorean Theorem, honey!!!! Love ya."

As readers of this blog know, when I am left scratching my head, I turn to scratching lyrics.  Today, I think it is obvious that Hank Williams' classic "Your Cheatin' Heart" is up for grabs.

Your Cheatin' Part

Your cheatin' part
Will make these kids weak.
You'll cry and cry
And through school they'll sneak.

But success won't come
As adulthood comes in.
Your cheatin' part
Will disable them.

When tears come down
From their brains lame
You'll look around
To find someone else to blame.

You'll curse the world
The way I do.
Your cheatin' part
Will take its toll on you.

Your cheatin' part
Will rue some day
And crave the lessons
You threw away.

The time will come
When you'll be blue.
Your cheatin' part
Will be the death of you.

When tears come down
From their brains lame
You'll look around
To find someone else to blame.

You'll curse the world
The way I do.
Your cheatin' part
Will take its toll on you.

Meanwhile, somewhere else in the world, citizens educated to be accountable and truly knowledgeable, will be singing a different Hank Williams' song to Americans and Indians:  "Move It On Over."