I use evidence to inform my teaching. | Human Restoration Project

It takes at least 22 years to meet standards, and try as they might — students fail to retain the majority of what they learn. Marzano & Kendall, 1998 Wagner & Dintersmith, 2015 There’s certainly a dismal picture: 51% of students in 4th grade are unhappy at school, 74% are unhappy by 8th grade Strauss, 2018; 41% feel unsafe at school, 34% feel unsafe in their classrooms YouthTruth, 2018; 7.4% of 9–12th graders attempted suicide in the last year. AFSP, 2017

Yet, as these problems grow ever more problematic, the system continues to promote standardized testing. Columbia University, 2017 Testing hampers motivation, discourages critical thinking, discourages student choice, and reduces teacher autonomy. Amrein & Berliner, 2003 Yes, students do learn when taking tests, but only recall-based facts which is not a requirement for critical thinking. Needham, 2010 In fact, testing does little more than highlight the inequities in our existing culture, rather than measuring any meaningful difference in intelligence. Moses & Nanna, 2007 The practice may even make the inequities worse. Natriello & Pallas, 1999

When teachers are burdened with a standardized testing culture — one that does anything to increase scores: cutting the arts, doubling down on preparation, enacting strict discipline policies — little is done to focus on the aforementioned problems above. The pressure associated with this culture completely diminishes any academic gain that could be achieved. Nichols et al., 2005 Although we want learners to make meaningful connections and experience learning — testing just gets in the way. Nelson et al., 2012 It even gets in the way of teacher and parental relationships with children. Ritt, 2016 Wyn et al., 2014

But it’s not only standardized testing. We continue to prop up systems that don’t work because that’s just the way it’s always been. It’s what our favorite teacher did. It’s what everyone else does.

We want students to be prepared, so we assign homework. But homework does little to motivate or enable further learning — it may even reduce it. Cool & Keith, 1991 Cool & Keith, 1991 The marginal at best results are only found in high school, with none elsewhere. Costley, 2013 However, what homework does cause is increased stress at home and increased familial tension. Kralovec & Buell, 2001 And no, we’re not falling behind other countries. The countries that assign the least homework perform better on any international achievement test. Baker & LeTendre, 2005 The only benefit? Students perform better on state-driven standardized tests. Maltese & Tai, 2012

We want students to know how they’re doing, to ensure they understand the material, so we give them a grade. Yet those who receive a grade are much less motivated to continue learning than those who are simply given feedback. Butler, 1987 Butler, 1988 Lipnevich & Smith, 2008 Students who focused on their grades learn less and are more stressed. Beck et al., 1991 And when their groups are graded, students are less likely to contribute. Hayek et al., 2015 Without a grade, students still are motivated to take tests, as long as they see the applicability. Moeller & Reschke, 1993 Those who see relevance in their learning desire to find out more. Benware & Deci, 1984

When a student performs poorly, they don’t desire to achieve — they are pushed out of school. Natriello, 1998 When a midterm grade card is released, those with low grades do even worse — they’re demotivated and disengaged. Poorthuis et al., 2015 Even those doing well tend to avoid any educational risks — chances of innovation — due to fears of a low grade. Pulfrey & Buchs, 2011 Further, students fearing a stereotype threat (e.g. women in STEM fields) perform worse with competitive grading practices. Souchal et al., 2014

Vast starry night sky, nebula swirls revealing infinite possibility and student potential

The more students have a seat at the table — power in their learning, their choices— the more driven they are to remain in school. Vallerand et al., 1997 They are willing to set their own standards for understanding and remain intrinsically motivated while setting their objectives. McMillan & Hearn, 2008 Logan, 2009 Wahanga Ako, 2012 When not highly controlled, children have an innate desire to learn and express themselves. Grolnick & Ryan, 1987 Deci et al., 1991 Of course, those that see meaningful actions in their classroom are engaged. Ames, 1992 To find meaning, schools need time to let students ask inquisitive questions. Engel, 2011 Simon, 2012 Otherwise, our classes are subjugated to a singular identity to aim towards — one that takes away or dismisses students’ innate knowledge and abilities. Apple, 2006 Freire, 1968 hooks, 1994 Often, we conflate students working on what we want with grit, but grit is obtained by students working on what they want. Duckworth et al., 2007

Further, the more active and experiential the classroom, the more students are motivated. Blumenfeld et al., 1991 Project-based learning (PBL) or experiential education has various linkages to increased traditional academic performance, as well as cognitive development and social/emotional wellbeing. Thomas, 2000 Bell, 2010 Dewey, 1938 When engaging in experiential learning, we work together and solve problems, leading to substantial gains across the board. Johnson & Johnson, 1999 And when we care about each other and build a lasting community, our students are better off. Jones, 2012 McGraw, 2012

In addition to caring for each other, students who practice self-care and self-regulation feel more attuned to their learning. Malow & Vance, 2016 If we wish school to be a haven from whatever personal problems a student has — to enable them to succeed despite their difficulties in a learning community — then we must give them the tools necessary. Peacock, 2015 Crum & Lyddy, 2013 This isn’t to make traditional learning more manageable, but to enable students to deal with stressful times in their lives. Bringus, 2016

Those who self-regulate have greater life outcomes. Moffitt et al., 2011 With less structure and direct instruction, students naturally become better at self-regulation. Barker et al., 2014 And there is still room for an educator — with various techniques and tools to connect with students during this process. Paris & Paris, 2001 Pintrich, 2000 Of course, more time provided to students means more play and socialization: both vital components of brain development. Gray, 2008 Recess and free time is not disposable or less important than class time, it is quintessential to learning. Pellegrini, 2005

Throughout, our goal should be to instill a sense of purpose in our children’s lives. Students are more satisfied, content, and less depressed when they embark on purpose-finding. Gillham et al., 2011 They have greater agency and push harder toward their goals. Hill et al., 2014 They overcome obstacles and are more likely to choose pro-social behaviors. Sayles, 1995 Machell et al., 2016 And as they work toward greater meaning, they understand their place in the world and reap rewards academically, socially, emotionally, and sustainably through life. Damon et al., 2003 Cotton Bronk et al., 2014 Cotton Bronk, 2012

There’s hundreds, perhaps thousands, of articles promoting progressive education. Research among child development psychologists overwhelming favors student choice and voice and experiential learning. The research supporting test preparation and traditional academia is centered on making said system stronger (recall, increased test scores) — continuing to bolster a dehumanizing model. Those of us adopting progressive models — rooted in philosophies of 100+ years ago — are not reinventing the wheel. Piaget & Inhelder, 1969 Dewey, 1899 Montessori, 1909 Raumer, 1858 Salzmann, 1799 Our imaginations aren’t running rampant, our ideas aren’t radical — they’re grounded in research. If we want to transform our schools, let’s use the facts.