When More Isn’t Better

Paul Kimmelman challenges the idea that No Child Left Behind means schools have to crowd out music and the arts. He says that, as schools respond to demands for better achievement, too frequently they are doing more — for example, more math or more reading — but they are not teaching these subjects any differently. This is a potentially debilitating strategy because more is not always better.

His point — that how you teach is as important as how long you teach — is well worth heeding. Kimmelman encourages schools to use data to improve instruction and briefly suggests how. His admonition applies to the debate over retention v. social promotion, too…

Update: Here is the issue in practice. Link thanks to Educationnews.org.