The following Op-Ed appeared in the New York Times this morning and is worth the read. Susan Engel's piece is informed and on-target. It gives me hope whenever I learn that someone else believes we need to reform our classrooms in a radical way, for the benefit of our children. Rarely, however, does public opinion suggest that (gasp!) current curriculum is based more on bureaucratic and political agenda than scientifically based evidence. This is remarkable, considering the push for evidence based practices, driven largely by the No Child Left Behind Act. With curriculum now heavily linked to research based evidence, administrators would be wise to pay attention to just what research is behind the decisions. Engel makes the excellent point, "Our current educational approach — and the testing that is driving it — is completely at odds with what scientists understand about how children develop during the elementary school years." To read Engel's complete piece visit http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/02/opinion/02engel.html
