首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
As 56 million children return to the nation’s 133, 000 elementary and secondary schools, the promise of "reform" is again in the
As 56 million children return to the nation’s 133, 000 elementary and secondary schools, the promise of "reform" is again in the
admin
2013-07-02
51
问题
As 56 million children return to the nation’s 133, 000 elementary and secondary schools, the promise of "reform" is again in the air. Education Secretary Arne Duncan has announced $ 4 billion in Race to the Top grants to states whose proposals demonstrated, according to Duncan, "a bold commitment to education reform" and "creativity and innovation that is breathtaking". What they really show is that few subjects inspire more intellectual dishonesty and political puffery(极力吹捧)than "school reform".
To be sure, some improvements have occurred in elementary schools. But what good are they if they’re erased by high school? There’s also been a modest narrowing in the high-school achievement gaps between whites and blacks, although the narrowing generally stopped in the late 1980s.(Average scores have remained stable because, although blacks’ scores have risen slightly, the size of these minority groups has also expanded. This means that their still-low scores exert a bigger drag on the average. The two effects offset each other.)
Standard explanations of this meager progress fail. Too few teachers? Not really. From 1970 to 2008, the student population increased 8 percent while the number of teachers rose 61 percent. Are teachers ill paid? Perhaps, but that’s not obvious. In 2008 the average teacher earned $53, 230; two full-time teachers married to each other and making average pay would rank among the richest 20 percent of households. Maybe more preschools would help. Yet the share of 3- and 4-year-olds in preschool has rocketed from 11 percent in 1965 to 53 percent in 2008.
"Reforms" have disappointed for two reasons. First, no one has yet discovered transformative changes in curriculum or pedagogy(教学法), especially for inner-city schools, that are(in business lingo)"scalable" — that is, easily transferable to other schools, where they would predictably produce achievement gains. Efforts in New York City and Washington, D. C., to raise educational standards involve contentious and precarious school-by-school campaigns to purge "ineffective" -teachers and principals.
The larger cause of failure is almost unmentionable: shrunken student motivation. Students, after all, have to do the work. If the students aren’t motivated, even capable teachers may fail. Motivation comes from many sources: curiosity and ambition; parental expectations; the desire to get into a "good" college; inspiring or intimidating teachers; peer pressure. The unstated assumption of much school "reform" is that if students aren’t motivated, it’s mainly the fault of schools and teachers. The reality is that, as high schools have become more inclusive and adolescent culture has strength-ened, the authority of teachers and schools has eroded.
Motivation has weakened because more students don’t like school, don’t work hard, and don’t do well. The conflict between expanding "access" and raising standards goes against standards.
Against these realities, school-"reform" rhetoric is blissfully evasive. Duncan urges "a great teacher" in every classroom — akin to having every football team composed of Ail-Americans. With that sort of intellectual rigor, what school "reform" promises is more disillusion.
Which of the following is a reason that caused the reforms to fail?
选项
A、High schools haven’t enough teachers.
B、Teachers don’t get rewarded adequately.
C、Preschools aren’t sufficient for children.
D、There’s no radical change on curriculum.
答案
D
解析
事实细节题。第四段提到“改革”失败的原因之一是课程安排和教学方法没有革命性的变化,[D]项是原文的同义转述,故正确,其他三项是第三段中指出的三个可能原因,文中紧接着用具体的事实数据对其作了否定。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/r5n7777K
0
大学英语六级
相关试题推荐
ThomasJeffersonwasinauguratedonMarch4,1801.HewasthefirstPresidenttotaketheoathofofficeinthenation’s【C1】____
ThomasJeffersonwasinauguratedonMarch4,1801.HewasthefirstPresidenttotaketheoathofofficeinthenation’s【C1】____
Oneofthegreatestconcernsparentshavewhenfacinganinternationalmoveis,"Whatschoolwillbeavailabletomychild?Wil
TheUnitedStatesDepartmentofEducationsaystherearemorethan2,400Americancollegesanduniversities.About100ofthese
TheUnitedStatesDepartmentofEducationsaystherearemorethan2,400Americancollegesanduniversities.About100ofthese
TheUnitedStatesDepartmentofEducationsaystherearemorethan2,400Americancollegesanduniversities.About100ofthese
A、Boysenjoyplayingwithcubesmorethangirls.B、Girlstendtogetexcitedmoreeasilythanboys.C、Girlsseemtostartreason
HowtoGetaGreatIdeaTheguestshadarrived,andthewinewaswarm.Onceagain,I’dforgottentorefrigerateit."Don’tw
A、Herpriorschooling.B、Herage.C、Herresidence.D、Herdrivingrecord.C男士说:“我们只需要登记住址:有姓名和住址的电话账单就可以了。”故答案为C。所有选项都很简短,表面上提供不了
A、Hearrivedatthetheaterlate.B、Helefthiswatchinthetheater.C、Theproductionseemedmuchshorterthanitactuallywas.
随机试题
关于急性多发性龈脓肿的治疗,下面说法错误的是A.单纯全身使用抗生素疗效显著B.全身支持治疗、休息有助于本病康复C.急性期,局部去除牙石,药物冲洗龈袋D.脓肿形成后及时切开引流E.急性症状控制后,及时进行彻底的局部治疗,以消除炎症,防止复发
A、香附旋覆花汤B、已椒苈黄汤C、十枣汤D、葶苈大枣泻肺汤E、木防己汤饮犯胸肺而喘咳,痰涎壅盛,治宜急攻其标,以挫其邪势,方用
1994年6月,《会计电算化管理办法》的颁布实施,标志着会计电算化管理工作纳入了()管理的轨道。
在行政处罚和行政处分两种方式中,都包括一个共同的措施是()。
把世界看作是从来如此、始终不变的自然界,人不过是从属于自然的一部分。这种观点是()。
试用“使用与满足理论”分析自媒体时代的微博传播。(北京大学,2012年MJC真题)
关键字ASC和DESC分别表示【】的含义。
Youareaskedtowriteacompositioninwhichyougiveyourownopinionsonthefollowingtopic:Tea
ReturningtoScienceA)TeresaGarrettwasworkingpart-timeasabiochemistrypostdoc(博士后).Shehadaninfantathome,andshew
I’vetwicebeentocollege-admissionswars,andasIsurveythebattlefield,somethingdifferentishappening.It’sone-upmanshi
最新回复
(
0
)