I attended the presentation by Alfie Kohn to the Indiana Superintendents meeting in Indianaoplis today and he received a standing ovation at the end of his presentation. He made many significant points about the problems of using standardized tests to judge children and evaluate teachers. He really put out a challenge to the Governor and State Superintendent about their recent statements and suggestions for changes in the Indiana schools. I hope that some of the individuals who were there will also post their views and thoughts about his presentation. He talked about the problem with standards and the emphasis on teaching just to them. He stated that schools and districts that focus on test scores are little more than test prep centers. He felt that whatever is measured by standardized test it isn't real learning. The overall message is that we as professional educators have to protect our students and teachers from the evils of the testing mentality. Suptenintendents can and should protect their teachers and their students from the policy makers who can think of nothing but increasing test scores.

Check out some of Alfie's publication on his webiste at http://www.alfiekohn.com/. He has written a lot about how to really create a student centered educational opportunity.