‘Beyond Measure: Rescuing an Overscheduled, Overtested, Underestimated Generation’
Kids and their parents collect flyers before a rally against teacher evaluations in front of P.S. 321 in Park Slope, Brooklyn, last March. Credit Jake Naughton for The New York Times
In the thought-provoking “Beyond Measure,” Vicki Abeles offers a compelling set of arguments for reconsidering how we define success in American education and for radically altering the approach we’ve taken to get there. High grades, high test scores and admission to one of the nation’s elite colleges have long been embraced as symbols of excellence and, by extension, successful parenting. Abeles suggests that pursuit of this narrow form of success is actually harming children and families, and distorting our educational institutions. Her book is bound to be controversial, particularly to the education establishment — university presidents, the testing industry and the policy makers who support them. For many of them, “Beyond Measure” is likely to be regarded as a threat, if not downright subversive.
Unlike others who have written on this topic, Abeles is not primarily focused on the politics driving America’s approach to education. Instead, she writes as a parent who questions the value of the sacrifices made by her own daughters when her family became “enslaved to achievement.” She is a keen observer who has spoken to researchers, educators and parents throughout the country about the toll that such competition has taken on our children. She documents rising rates of depression and anxiety disorders, and excessive use of performance-enhancing drugs, and concludes that if the trade-off for success is a decline in health, a growing number of people may decide it’s not worth it.
Following up on her highly regarded film “Race to Nowhere,” Abeles calls for an end to what she describes as the “application arms race.” She also reminds us that it wasn’t always this way. Not too long ago, those who didn’t gain admission to elite private colleges could be educated at strong, affordable public alternatives that were readily available. She points out that homework has been around for centuries, but since when did it become normal for children as young as 6 and 7 to be burdened with hours of it each night? Standardized tests have been a regular part of education, but in the past the stakes weren’t so high, and relatively little time was devoted to preparation.
Her critics are likely to contend that her concerns are limited to a privileged segment of the population: overachieving, affluent parents and their children. They will suggest that her arguments have no relevance to ‘Beyond Measure: Rescuing an Overscheduled, Overtested, Underestimated Generation’ - The New York Times:
