The Iowa Council for the
Social Studies Journal
Vol 23, Fall 2010

Theme: Perceptions and Misperceptions about Academic Standards

​Forward
Lynn E. Nielsen, University of Northern Iowa

The Problem with Solutions
Mary Kennedy
 
Kennedy tackles a systemic problem faced to one degree or another by most teachers in across the country -- reform fatigue. She offers suggestions for averting the undo pressures reform efforts impose on classroom teachers, administrators and even parents.
 
Understanding Fears about Failing Schools
Joel Best
 
Joel Best addresses the long-standing perception that schools in the United States are academic and social failures. This perception in turn leads to fears that a deficit of academic achievement threatens our national security. Presenting specific examples where schools in the US are actually achieving at a higher level than in previous decades, he frames and debunks three criticisms supporting the claim that America's schools are failing.
 
Education in America: Let the Competition Begin
Barry Wilson
 
Barry Wilson offers a five-point critique of claims that schools across the country are failing. Again, citing the long-standing perception that America's schools are regressing, Wilson addresses problems with international rankings, misperceptions regarding test scores and the global economy, the impact of poverty on academic achievement, and myths related to the supremacy of mathematics and science.
 
Educating the Whole Child in the 21st Century
Clare Struck
 
Clare Struck addresses the current overemphasis on standardized tests, punitive accountability systems, and rigid educational mandates. She suggests that these excesses have replaced student-centered, instruction-driven delivery models that focus on teaching and learning while meeting the needs of all students, both in and out of school.