tristanrobin

I don't see a forum for education, so I'm posting this here - if it should go elsewhere, feel free to move it to a more appropriate forum.

A short excerpt from "Generation Me: Why Today’s Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled—and More Miserable Than Ever Before," by Jean M. Twenge, Ph.D

SELF- ESTEEM AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

There has also been a movement against "criticizing" children too much. Some schools and teachers don't correct children's mistakes, afraid that this will damage children's self-esteem. One popular method tells teachers not to correct students' spelling or grammar, arguing that kids should be “independent spellers” so they can be treated as “individuals.” (lmagine reading a nuespaper wyten useing that filosofy.) Teacher education courses emphasize that creating a positive atmosphere is more important
than correcting mistakes. In 2005, a British teacher proposed eliminating the word "fail" from education; instead of hearing that they have failed, students should hear that they have "deferred success." In the United States, office stores have started carrying large stocks of purple pens, as some teachers say that red ink is too “scary” for children's papers. Florida elementary schoolteacher Robin Slipakoff said, “Red has a negative connotation, and we want to promote self-confidence.”

Grade inflation has also reached record highs. In 2004, 48% of American college freshmen-almost-half-reported earning an A average in high school, compared to only 18% in 1968, even though SAT scores decreased over this time period. “Each year we think [the number with an A average] can't inflate anymore. And then it does again. The 'C' grade is almost a thing of the past,” noted Andrew Astin, the lead researcher for the
study. These higher grades were given out even though students were doing less work. Only 33% of American college freshmen in 2003 reported studying six or more hours a week during their last year of high school, compared to 47% in 1987. So why are they still getting better grades? “Teachers want to raise the self-esteem and feel-good attitudes of students,” explains Howard Everson of the College Board. We have become a Lake Wobegon nation: all of our children are above average.

The results of these policies have played out in schools around the country. Emily, 8, came home from school one day proud that she got half of the words right on her spelling test (in other words, a grade of 50). When her mother pointed out that this wasn't very good, Emily replied that her teacher had said it was just fine. At her school near Dallas, Texas,11-year~old Kayla was invited to the math class pizza party as a reward for making a good grade, even though she had managed only a barely passing 71. The pizza parties used to be only for children who made A’s, but in recent years the school has invited every child who simply passed.

This basically means that we don't expect children to learn anything. As long as they feel good, that seems to be all that's required. As education professor Maureen Stout notes, many educational psychologists believe that schools should be “places in which children are insulated from the outside world and emotionally-not intellectually-nourished . . . My colleagues always referred to the importance of making kids feel good about themselves but rarely, if ever, spoke of achievement, ideals, goals, character, or decency.” The future teachers whom Stout was educating believed that “children shouldn't be challenged to try things that others in the class are not ready for, since that would promote competition, and competition is bad for self-esteem. Second, grading should be avoided if at all possible, but, if absolutely necessary, should be done in a way that avoids any indication that Johnny is anything less than a stellar pupil.”

Grade inflation and lack of competition may be backfiring: in 2003, 43% of college freshmen reported that they were frequently bored in class during their last year of high school, up from 29% in 1985. This is not surprising: how interesting could school possibly be when everyone gets an A and self-esteem is more important than learning?

Perhaps as a result of all of this self-esteem building, educational psychologist Harold Stevenson found that American children ranked very highly when asked how good they were at math. Of course, their actual math performance is merely mediocre, with other countries' youth routinely outranking American children. Every year, news anchors solemnly report how far American kids are falling behind. The emphasis on self-esteem can't be blamed entirely for this, of course, but one could easily argue that children's time might be better spent doing math than hearing that they are special. In 2004, 70% of American college freshmen reported that their “academic ability” was “above average” or “highest 10%,” an amusing demonstration of American youths' self confidence outpacing their ability at math.

What kind of young people does this produce? Many teachers and social observers say it results in kids who can't take criticism. In other words, employers, get ready for a group of easily hurt young workers. Peter Sacks, author of Generation X Goes to College, noted the extraordinary thin-skinnedness of the undergraduates he taught, and my experience has been no different. I've learned not to discuss test items that the majority of students missed, as this invariably leads to lots of whiny defensiveness and very little actual learning. The two trends are definitely related: research shows that when people with high self-esteem are criticized, they became unfriendly, rude, and uncooperative, even toward people who had nothing to do with the criticism.

None of this should really surprise us. Students “look and act like what the [self-esteem] theories say they should look and act like," notes Hewitt. “They tend to act as though they believe they have worthy and good inner essences, regardless of what people say or how they behave, that they deserve recognition and attention from others, and their unique individual needs should be considered first and foremost.” And, of course,
this is exactly what has happened: GenMe takes for granted that the self comes first, and we often believe exactly what we were so carefully taught-that we're special.

But this must have an upside; surely kids who have high self-esteem go on to make better grades and achieve more in school. Actually, they don't. There is a small correlation between self-esteem and grades. However, self-esteem does not cause high grades-instead, high grades cause higher self-esteem. So self-esteem programs clearly put the cart before the horse in trying to increase self-esteem. Even much of the small link from high grades to high self-esteem can be explained by other factors
such as income: rich kids, for example, have higher self-esteem and get better grades, but that's because coming from an affluent home causes both of these things, and not because they cause each other. This resembles the horse and the cart being towed on a flatbed truck-neither the cart nor the horse is causing the motion in the other even though they are moving together. As self-esteem programs aren't going to make all
kids rich, they won't raise self-esteem this way either.

Nor does high self-esteem protect against teen pregnancy, juvenile delinquency, alcoholism, drug abuse, or chronic welfare dependency. Several comprehensive reviews of the research literature by different authors have all concluded that self-esteem doesn't cause much of anything. Even the book sponsored by the California Task Force to Promote Self-Esteem and Personal and Social Responsibility, which spent a quarter of a million dollars trying to raise Californians' self-esteem, found that self-esteem isn't linked to academic achievement, good behavior, or any other outcome the Task Force was formed to address.

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highway80west

Outcome-based education is what is called now, I guess.

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tyrone_det

Self-esteem rules and programs are supported by parents who cannot accept the fact that their children aren't perfect.

Mrs. CJ Parker

It's why our ranks are down internationally. Reagan on down did little to fund public education, and made it mandatory that all children succeed in order for there to be what little funding was given. You're right. Out come based...test scores = educated.

pensacola_niceman

We need to go back to paddling the shit out of the unruly students and making stupid kids sit in a corner with a dunce cap on.

highway80west

That's why there are boarding schools.

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ken 4 hill

It seems as though parents are out of touch with the school system. School aren't succeeding because teachers are left to do what the parents don't do at home.
1.discipline
2.sex education
3.mannerism
To name a few

pensacola_niceman

Nah, it's up to the school guidance counselors to do all that.

ken 4 hill

You are no guidence counselor and you simply don't know what you are talking about. You blame this on the schools systems. If the had to teach students with behavior problems then i am sure that more people would understand.

pensacola_niceman

People seem to think that it is the parent's responsibility to raise their children. We all know that it's really up to the government and the schools to do that job. Parents are too busy nowadays anyway.