The institution of education’s method of grade school standardized testing stifles the freedom of the individual by focusing students’ learning on a narrow curriculum.
Confining society to a certain set of standardized testing subjects does not foster an environment which encourages free intellectual inquiry. Rather, teachers emphasize subjects that may not fit each students’ field of specialization. Standardized testing materials often take priority over subjects not valued in standardized testing. These programs assume that genius is already present in the student. However, students who specialize in subjects such as art are not deemed geniuses if they do not excel in subjects such as math or science. We need a method of inquiry similar to the process used by scientists to judge the greater needs of students’ education. Students who learn in environments that nurture their individual abilities will succeed and our education system will foster intelligence at a greater level.
Furthermore, standardized testing does not account for lower-income students in environments that do not encourage intelligence. Government programs encouraging standardized testing do not benefit society as they create environments which harm underfunded schools in underprivileged communities. Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act sanctioned schools who did not show adequate improvement. Obama’s Race to the Top Program promised incentives to schools who did improve. These programs assume that genius is universally inherent in children, no matter their socioeconomic situation. However, genius results from environments which facilitate intelligence, and not every child affected by these programs have facilitative environments.
Programs which compare schools across all socioeconomic backgrounds additionally create competition which stifles creativity. It is unrealistic to think that schools in underprivileged communities can match the test scores of those in privileged communities with only the help of these programs. However, schools of all socioeconomic levels nevertheless remain in competition. Underprivileged schools often focus the majority of their time on “teaching the test” rather than teaching valuable information—beyond standardized subjects. As a result, geniuses in lower-income communities (that could benefit society) often fail to thrive because their time is spent in competition for higher test scores. Education works better not when schools and students are in environments of competition, but when individual strengths are encouraged for the betterment of the community.
An educational system without standardized testing, but a new system with an emphasis on inquiry, would encourage the freedom of the individual and allow people to fulfill their highest potential through the pursuit of knowledge.