Budets are tight and stakes are high

Budgets are Tight and the Stakes are High

There are multiple iterations of high stakes testing around the country. Kids who can’t pass the particular test for the area are at risk for not getting a high school diploma unless the school system has come up with a work-around.   Teachers and principals are evaluated by how well their students do on these tests.   Instruction in the various language arts is designed to prepare kids for the tests.

In our headlong rush to prepare students (and staff) to do well in these tests we forget that the real reason for education, besides providing our democracy with an educated electorate, is to prepare students for college and careers.   The PARCC test even stands for Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers.  Interestingly, the skills assessed in these test are least related to readiness for post-secondary transition.   In fact, employers cite totally different skills that they look for and cannot find in new hires.

Commonly, we teach children to do book reports.  What exactly is the purpose of the book report?   When was the last time an employer asked a staff member to write a book report?  When students get older we up the digital platform to demand PowerPoint presentations when in fact few folks on the job have to do these.   The skills that kids will need on the job are seldom taught.

Everyone looking for a job needs a 60-second elevator speech that describes who you are.  This tool is useful for a job interview, networking at a professional gathering or even the company cocktail party.   The ability to construct a clear and concise oral message tailored to different audiences is a skill needed by most of us not just politicians.  Interacting with teams, speaking publicly and receiving and using feedback and constructive criticism are also critical.

Where in the curriculum are these skills most often taught- Performing Arts!   What area of the curriculum is first on the chopping block when we work to increase reading and math scores on high stakes tests- Performing Arts.   Budgets are tight and finite.   When money is limited administrators cut what they perceive as “nice but not necessary”.

The fact is when preparing students for the next stage of life, performing arts does more than most academic areas.  In performing arts, students learn to take on different persona. That is a lot like learning how to present to different audiences.

In performing arts, students work within a cast, each person counting on the other to produce the final product.   That is a great deal like a workplace team.   Cast members learn to accept and use constructive feedback about their performances, whether from other cast members or the director.  That process is not unlike what happens in the workplace.    Cast members have to listen respectfully to all points of view so that the final production will bring it all together for a pleasurable performance.

The truth is the stakes are too high to cut performing arts.   Yet we let school systems do it to the peril of the children they profess to be preparing for college and careers.