Why Johnny can't fail: how the 'floating standard' has destroyed public education.
Reason › Vol. 31 Nbr. 3, July 1999
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Summary
The imposition of a floating standard in public education is making the educational system the biggest loser. By making educational standards flexible to cater to the whims of parents, students and administrators, mediocre academic performance is encouraged.
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Why Johnny can't fail: how the 'floating standard' has destroyed public education.
I confess. I am a grade-inflating teacher guilty of "social promotion." I have given passing grades to students who failed all of their tests, to students who refused to read their assignments, to students who were absent as often as not, to students who were not even functionally literate. I have turned a blind eye to cheating and outright plagiarism and have given A's and B's to students whose performance was at best mediocre. Like others of my ilk, I have sent students to higher grades, to higher education, and to the workplace unprepared for the demands that would be made of them.
I am, in short, a servant of the force that thwarts nearly every effort to reform American education. I am a servant of the floating standard. It does not matter what changes we make in curricula. The floating standard shields the status quo and guarantees the reign of mediocrity. If standards are set high but students lack the skills or motivation to meet them, the standards will inevitably drop. If many students in a given class take part-time jobs, homework will be reduced. If drugs sweep through a school,...See the full content of this document
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