Part 6: Tests, Tests and More Tests

Summary:

There has been a dramatic change in education and it?s all about numbers. State and federal laws now require schools to measure just about everything that can be measured about the performance of their students. The source of all these numbers is testing, and whether you think testing is good or bad, there?s no doubt it?s having a huge impact. Emily Hanford reports from Western Guilford High School.

Website:

http://wunc.org/voices/highschool/studying-high-school

Additional Credits and Funding:

"Daily Lessons: Inside Western Guilford High School" is a production of North Carolina Public Radio - WUNC and was originally produced for the series "North Carolina Voices: Studying High School."

Tones:

NPR NewsMagazine-y, Thorough, Thoughtful

Language:

English

Description:

"Daily Lessons: Inside Western Guilford High School" is a ten part documentary series about a public high school in Greensboro, North Carolina. A team of reporters spent six months at the school to document how a ?typical? high school is dealing with some daunting new realities. Schools across the country are facing similar challenges:

? Expanded testing requirements: Complying with the federal ?No Child Left Behind Act? and the North Carolina ?ABCs of Public Education? means tests, tests, and more tests. The result is a radical shift in the traditional rhythms of high school and big changes in what students are learning and how teachers are teaching.

? A worsening teacher shortage: North Carolina needs 10,000 new teachers annually to fill classroom vacancies, yet the state?s teaching colleges are only turning out 3,000 a year. At the same time, many new teachers burn out quickly, and veteran teachers are increasingly frustrated with the direction of public education, and wondering whether they?ll stay.

? Demographic change: NC has one of the fastest growing immigrant populations in the nation, meaning schools have to figure out ways to teach thousands of students whose first languages can be Spanish, Tagolog, Urdu or Arabic. Supporting those students, helping them learnEnglish, and making sure they pass standardized tests, is a challenge for high schools.

? A radically changed economy: The manufacturing and agriculture jobs that once fueled the North Carolina economy are fast disappearing, replaced by jobs that require more skills and higher education. Some educators say high schools must prepare all students for college. Others say high schools can?t forget students who might not be headed for higher education.

"Daily Lessons: Inside Western Guilford High School" was produced for the series "North Carolina Voices: Studying High School" on North Carolina Public Radio ? WUNC. The series originally aired in May 2006. For more about the series, please visit http://wunc.org/voices

A script for each radio piece, including a suggested host introduction, is attached here. Feel free to edit intros.

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