Two weeks ago, I watched a screening of the documentary film,
Race to Nowhere. The film was challenging, thought-provoking, and deeply sad. Several parents commented that they'd like to be able to talk about the film, so we're meeting at school on Monday morning to start the discussion. I thought it might be helpful to provide links to related news articles, blog posts, and other commentary about schooling in America.
First, though, the film's website has these suggestions for parents:
Discuss what success means to your family. Do your actions as a family reflect your values?
Reduce performance pressure.
Avoid over-scheduling.
Allow time for play, family, friends, downtime and sleep.
Ask your children how they are feeling.
Allow your children to make mistakes and learn from them.
Dialogue with your children about their experiences in school.
Know the signs of childhood depression. Follow your instincts.
Attend school board meetings and other venues where education is discussed and policies are established and reinforced.
Form alliances and organize other parents to join you. As a group, talk to your children's teachers, school administrators, and attend School Board meetings.
Challenge accepted homework practices and policies and the imposition of state and national standards that have narrowed curriculum.
Advocate for a later start time in high school.
Eat dinner regularly as a family.
Make college search about finding the "right fit" rather than finding the "best" college. Finding the "right fit" will ensure college success and retention.
In the same week, the Wall Street Journal published an article called
Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior. This article ignited a firestorm of commentary across the media and the blogosphere - following is a list of links:
The New York Times published, in their Room for Debate section, a series called
Is Extreme Parenting Effective?
Earlier, the Times had a piece on major changes coming to the AP program nationwide, starting with AP Biology (the course highlighted in the film):
Rethinking Advanced Placement.
After reading my Facebook post on the screening of Race to Nowhere, a friend sent me this link to an article in Psychology Today:
A Nation of Wimps. IMHO, this article should be required reading for all parents! The author actually makes the same points as Race to Nowhere, but from the opposite perspective: parental hyperconcern.
A selection of other links to commentary about education, parenting, and achievement:
Huffington Post:
Will Chinese Mothers Win the Parenting Prize?
Huffington Post:
Why Amy Chua is Wrong About Parenting
TechCrunch:
Why American Mothers are Superior
Business Week:
US Schools are Still Ahead - Way Ahead
Washington Post:
Tiger mom's memoir meets ferocious roar
Dangerously Irrelevant Blog:
I really liked Race to Nowhere
There are, of course, tons more articles - but this is a great start!
I'd also like to recommend two books that I've found to be thought-provoking and reasonable:
Daniel Pink's recent bestseller on motivation:
Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
and
The Blessings of a Skinned Knee, by Wendy Mogel (highlighted in the film)
This link is to a video in mp4 format that is very thought-provoking:
Did You Know?
