Sad but true

If you haven't read Yong Zhao's blog you're missing out. He writes abotu the American public education from the perspective of an outsider. Zhao was educated in China and has few good things to say about how we are trying to change our education system into a test-driven sweatshop. In his latest entry he has six suggestions on how states can get a piece of the Race to the Top billions being dangled by the feds.
Zhao has 6 suggestions:

1. Stop paying teachers and principals a salary. Instead, pay them on a per-standardized-test-point basis each day.
2. Remove all “non-core” academic activities and courses and reduce all teaching to math and reading.
3. Make sure every child takes courses in STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), the more the merrier.
4. This suggestion is only for the states of Alaska and Texas, because the others have already committed themselves to doing it: Develop and adopt “a common set of K-12 standards … that are supported by evidence that they are internationally benchmarked and build toward college and career readiness by the time of high school graduation.” He points out that the countries that US students are supposed to be competing against don't have national standards, including China.
5. Write in lots of money for testing companies and assessment consultants in the application, because you will be rewarded for “developing and implementing common, high-quality assessments.”
6. Oh, and while you’re at it, include a proposal to bar all children under the age of 18 from entering museums, public libraries, and music events; lock up all musical instruments in schools, and fire all music, art, and physical education teachers; close sports facilities; disconnect all Internet connections; and cut down on lunch time, because the Race to the Top initiative wants to lengthen the school year and school day, and all these are distracting kids from studying for the tests.

As great as these reasons are it's his conclusion that struck me and made me feel much better about my own theory of education;

"But that requires you to discard the notion that creativity, talent, and technology are important for the future. You must also not think that a healthy society needs musicians, artists, and athletes. Nor can you assume that a well-rounded human being is essential for a democracy. Of course, you should also deny the fact that creativity, art, design, and music play significant roles in the world of science and technology today."

Thank you Mr. Zhao for a wonderful article.

Full article:
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/12/16/15zhao_ep.h29.html?r=422744356

Zhao's blog:
http://zhao.educ.msu.edu/