Mandatory testing and news in the schools
Subtitle: implications for civic education
By: ; prepared by Thomas E. Patterson.
Contributors: Carnegie-Knight Task Force on the Future of Journalism Education.
Publisher: Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics, and Public Policy, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
Published: 2007
Place of publication: Cambridge, Mass
Language: eng
Number of pages: 16
Subjects: Civics -- Study and teaching -- United States; Current events -- United States; Educational tests and measurements -- United States
Description: From America's earliest days, its public schools have been charged with both educating students and making them into citizens. Some observers believe that civic education in the United States is being compromised by the push for mandatory testing, with its emphasis on language, math, and science skills. Based on a recent national survey of 1,262 social studies, civics, and government teachers, this report examines the effect of mandatory testing on the classroom use of current affairs news. The evidence shows that standardized tests do inhibit classroom use of news, including student discussion. The effect is particularly pronounced in schools with large numbers of lower-income and English-as-a-second-language (ESL) students, who are precisely the students that would benefit most from a vigorous civic education. The report concludes with recommendations on how teachers, school administrators, and policymakers can mitigate the effects of mandatory testing on civic education in America.
Notes: "January 2007."

"A Report  from the Carnegie-Knight Task Force on the Future of Journalism Education."

"Task Force members: Geoffrey Cowan, Alex S. Jones, John Lavine, Nicholas Lemann, Orville Schell."

Includes bibliographical references (p. 11).

Also available online via the Internet.
Table of contents: title: News in the classroom; title: "Teaching to the test" and news use; title: The double bind: basic skills v. civic competence; title: Making news a larger part of the classroom experience; title: Finding a proper balance.