Thomas publishes new book on education
GREENVILLE, S.C.—Furman University education professor Paul Thomas has published his 15th book, De-Testing and De-Grading Schools.The book, a collection of essays co-edited by Thomas and Canadian educator Joe Bower and published by Peter Lang USA, looks at a century of education and education reform along with the last three decades of high-stakes testing and accountability to show the failure of testing and grading.
“Education has a steadfast commitment to testing and grading despite decades of research, theory, and philosophy that reveal the corrosive consequences of both testing and grading within an education system designed to support human agency and democratic principles,” says Thomas.
The volume offers practical and detailed examinations of ways to teach and learn free of the weight of testing and grading. The book explores the theoretical and philosophical arguments against testing and grading; the negative influence of testing and grading on social justice, race, class, and gender; and the role of testing and grading in perpetuating a