The Value and Purpose of an Education Part II:
The Real Purpose Behind MCAS and Why It Will Fail
An Editorial by Bruce M. Desmond

Let’s get right to the point; the real purpose behind MCAS and Mass Ed Reform is not education, its accountability. Massachusetts was not out of line trying to create a system that would bring it about. We are all accountable when it comes to the enculturation of our children, both on an individual and institutional basis. Schools play a vital role in this process and should be held accountable. There is also no getting around the fact that we, as teachers, school administrators, and elected officials have not always been so conscientious in the fulfillment of that role. As far back as I can remember, schools like many other state and municipal departments, were seen as safe havens for political patronage. Every school system still has those teachers and administrators that clearly shouldn’t be there. They take away from the credibility of our schools as institutions of learning, and are reminders of days gone by. Worst than that, they distract us from the thousands of talented and dedicated educators who also came from that time period, and who have dedicated their lives to improving their craft. No one had to hold them accountable; they held themselves to high standards and did remarkable things under most difficult conditions. Unfortunately, the public lost sight of those teachers and have focused on declining test scores, poor reading and writing skills, poor study habits, student apathy, increased violence, higher costs of education, and many other negatives. The public screams that it is the fault of the schools. The State heard those screams and now the schools have become a political football.

The fact is, there are many damaging influences that act on our children today. Television alone has diminished the attention span of most of the population, not just our kids.  Not to mention the damage it has done to our language, our attitude toward women, relationships, and our sense of social propriety in general. The media has become a tool of an economic system that would raise our children to be consumers, versus our schools that are trying to raise them as learners. Our movies are filled with violence and vulgarity. Pornography is just a click of the mouse away, and the easy access to drugs and alcohol is frightening. Considering the circumstances of our society, I believe the schools have done a remarkable job of educating our kids.

Nonetheless, schools are being held accountable and let me say once again that this is necessary and proper. It is however, just as necessary and just as proper to hold every other institution accountable, including celebrities, screenwriters, and producers in the television, movie and music industries. The business and corporate sponsors, who are more interested in profits than the social and physical health of our children, also need to be held accountable. All the MCAS preparation and tests in the world can’t correct the damage done by these people.

But for now, the focus is on the schools. So we, as a society, should be asking ourselves how we should hold our schools accountable. Are we doing it correctly? I maintain that we are not. The method being used under Mass Ed Reform, standardized testing, is defeating the purpose of education and doing more harm than good. Eventually it will fail, but in the meantime, wonderful curriculums will be put aside because they are not being tested. Truly creative methods of teaching will be abandoned for there is no use for them in regards to a standardized test, and an uncountable number of kids will miss the opportunity of a genuine education.

The reality is that the MCAS test is here. It slithered forward and coiled itself around us (albeit in a loving way) and is now constricting with a steady and deadly pressure. We have to share the blame. We became careless and continued down a path without asking ourselves where we were going and walked into the snake pit of MCAS. Not only is that snake squeezing us to death, it has been made even more venomous with President Bush’s No Child Left Behind program. With this added feature it is now unlocking its jaws and preparing to swallow us whole.

Bruce Desmond is an Alderman at Large, President of the Somerville Board of Aldermen and a member of the Somerville School Committee