The Vancouver Sun

Monday, April 16, 2007

Paul Shaker

Parents sincerely wish to know whether their public school is worthy of
their children.

Because of this natural feeling, when I object to school rankings I am often
asked: "Then how can we know whether our school is of high quality?"

I answer as a parent who selected schools for my children too many times:
"Visit the school, talk to people you trust, including other parents, as
well as the school's teachers and principal. Use your knowledge about your
child and make an informed judgment."

For many, that's not the answer they want to hear.

There isn't a quick and easy, foolproof scheme that can replace this
process. Let's put school choice in a larger context: I never found a single
ranking or number that answered my questions about the physician or surgeon
I should consult; or the place of worship best for me; or the counsellor I
need.

These are highly personal choices that require my observation and
discrimination. Of course, there were shortcuts out there -- often in the
form of advertising on TV, in print or on the Internet. I found, however,
those voices typically had interests of their own that had more to do with
their profits than they did with my family's welfare. And, of course, they
didn't know our specific characteristics and values.

Whose job is it to protect the public from propaganda and junk science in
education or these other fields? Who is to label infomercials as such and
challenge the expertise and motives of self-appointed experts who seize the
public forum? Who can stand up to powerful interests who spend millions to
shape public opinion so that their own interests are served while the
health, safety, and quality of life of the average person are sacrificed? My
hope is that a central answer to these questions is the membership of our
self-governing professions whether in medicine, education, law or other
fields.

These specially identified groups of citizens are trained to have the
expertise necessary to provide valid information. They also have an ethical
obligation to uphold the public good even when doing so entails personal
sacrifice.

Honouring the interest of the patient, student, or client is a foundation of
professions. Closely associated with such professionals are the lay board
members and governmental officials who work in fiduciary association with
them. They also are expected to maintain a higher ethical standard in their
dealings with the public.

Year after year, as school rankings are published in British Columbia, we
hear the near unanimous voices of education -- and associated --
professionals warning us that ranking schools according to standardized test
scores is neither scientifically credible nor socially valuable. Ministry
officials, superintendents, school trustees, principals and teachers, as
well as the B.C. deans of education and our research professors, submit that
such "report cards" as publicized are invalid, unreliable, and socially
damaging. See www.educ.sfu.ca/school-rankings

After you do the work of finding a good school remember, however, it is only
one element in the education of your child. I suggest you view the school as
a significant resource from which your child benefits while he or she also
learns from the larger context of life in your home and community. As a
parent you are well advised to thoughtfully enhance school experiences with
your choice of activities, including sports, the arts, and advanced
academics. As you talk with your children, help them make sense of their
many experiences and account for their feelings. Identify the lessons that
are appearing in their lives. Influence their reactions to events and
reflect with them on the results of what they say and do.

As we create this curriculum for your child's whole education, let's start a
list of what to avoid:

- Schools that are dominated by poverty or wealth, for example, since they
may infect their students with despair or entitlement, respectively.

- Schools whose character is defined by excessive conformity or a lack of
cultural diversity. Those aren't classrooms that prepare one for life in
Canada today.

- Schools that have a narrow curriculum, neglecting the imagination and the
body in favor of an obsession with cognitive work alone. Let's avoid adults
who are unkind to children. Bad media, too much media. Boredom. Inactivity.

I don't think you or I should pass the buck and make decisions for our
children based on public relations literature or advertising. We need to
understand why the range of informed professionals advises us against the
report card rankings.

Until we study the issue independently, prudence says it's safer to set
aside the infomercials and slogans and pick a school in the way you pick
your physician, your accountant, your minister, or your counselor. Weigh the
full evidence; visit with the parties involved, look for yourself, talk with
your child, listen to your heart.

Paul Shaker is dean of Education at Simon Fraser University.
© The Vancouver Sun 2007