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2013.jpg
The Class of 2013 was in third grade when the federal No Child Left Behind law went into effect. A former high school teacher apologizes to college professors for sending them students who are very bright, but not prepared for intellectual challenges. (Facebook photo of a senior class from Maryland)

A high school teacher warns colleges about the Class of 2013

March 14, 2013 @ 5:07 pm (Updated: 8:20 pm - 3/16/13 )

As the University of Washington sends out its college acceptance letters today, a high school teacher writes an open letter to professors everywhere apologizing for the class of 2013.

"I have just retired as a high school teacher. I have some bad news for you," says Kenneth Bernstein. "In case you do not already see what is happening, I want to warn you of what to expect from the students who will be arriving in your classroom, even if you teach in a highly selective institution."

Bernstein was a teacher in the Washington, D.C. area who spent 13 of his 17 years in the same high school. He notes something special about the class of 2013 - my daughter's class - the No Child Left Behind law went into effect when these seniors were in third grade. Their class has felt the full extent of the law's testing requirements.

"As kids started arriving after a couple years of No Child Left Behind, they were starting to arrive in our high school in 9th grade without having meaningful social studies," he says. "Social studies was not tested, so increasingly in districts and schools that were worried about their test scores they started sliding away from stuff that was specific to a content area to preparation for the testing."

He saw students, even in advanced classes, who didn't have a grasp of American history, world history, geography, and civics or government because those subject areas weren't included under the "adequate yearly progress" for schools.

With test scores serving as the primary measure of student and teacher performance, anything not being tested has been given "short shrift" for the Class of 2013. State tests are a problem too.

"I look particularly at the very, very bright kids I had in AP (advanced placement classes) and I found myself between a rock and a hard place. They're going to have to take the AP exam, therefore, I have to teach them how to write badly," he says.

Careful, quality writers put a lot of work into their topic sentence of an essay. But, as someone who has graded the AP exams, he says students don't get any credit for that. Once again he found himself having to "teach to the test."

Bernstein says he wanted his students to be critical thinkers, and many of them are, but he wishes he could have done more. He couldn't simultaneously prepare them to do well on tests and teach them to write in a fashion that would properly serve them at higher levels of education.

Many teachers, who entered the profession to make a difference in students' lives, are leaving sooner than planned because testing policies are increasingly restricting how and what they teach.

He also asks of college professors, "Please do not blame those of us in public schools for how unprepared for higher education the students arriving at your institutions are. We have very little say in what is happening in public education."

Our schools are structured for the convenience of adults, he says, not for what makes the most sense for students.

"If we really want our schools to be effective we'd step back and rethink the entire system, Bernstein says.

The way the school system is set up is based on tradition, and does not take into account the fact that children don't all learn at the same ages, in the same ways.

While schools in the U.S. are considering extending the class day and class year, the trend in South Korea and Japan is to cut back on the number of hours of school.

Members of the class of 2013, arriving on college campuses this fall, "may be very bright," but they're not prepared for the kind of intellectual work and critical thinking the professors expect of them.

"It is for this that I apologize, even as I know in my heart that there was little more I could have done," says Bernstein, "which is one reason I am no longer in the classroom."

By LINDA THOMAS

More from Linda Thomas

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Comments (97)


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  • schneidballs wrote...
    What do you expect
    March 15, 2013 10:21 am
    When we have the other Washington dictating how we should raise our kids and educate them. Get rid of the department of education (a waste of billions/year) and give the power back to the local schools, or at a minimum the states. I sure am glad we home school.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • pastor wrote...
    Another George Bush Blunder
    March 15, 2013 10:26 am
    ?No Child Left Behind? In Eight years, Bush messed the Country up.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Citizen of Krazy Town wrote...
    @pastor: Wrong
    March 15, 2013 10:49 am
    It was Reagan, who signed off on a bad plan put in motion by Carter. And created a bureaucracy "too big to fail". Plenty of blame to go around on this one, buddy.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • irony wrote...
    privatize education to non-profits
    March 15, 2013 10:35 am
    then kids will be forced to learn at a faster rate just like the rest of the world. reality bites...not everyone can be on welfare for life.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Citizen of Krazy Town wrote...
    It IS possible for a district to produce high-quality students and co-exist with NCLB
    March 15, 2013 10:40 am
    But it ain't easy.

    I have four sons in the Bellevue School district, the oldest is class of 2014 at Interlake HS and the youngest will be class of 2025.

    Over the years, our local elementary and middle schools have struggled under NCLB and each of them were "in distress" due to poor performance in the WASL and subsequent standardized tests. And we, as a family, saw first hand the phenomenon of "teaching to the tests". Whole months spent ditching all classwork in order to drill on test answers, and the strain put on teachers rolled right down to the kids and families. At our home, we were fortunate enough to be able to augment the district curriculum with homeschooling to fill in the gaps. But in many other homes, that was just not possible due to myriad issues and those kiddos ultimately got the short end of the stick.

    In the past 4-5 years we have seen a shift in strategy. Implementation of national programs like AVID, which helps build a positive sense of academic community in students as well as putting focus on critical thinking and open discussion to collectively debate and resolve academic challenges. There are also homegrown local programs like "parent universities" that are basically adult seminars to help parents provide the home support for their kiddos so that when they leave school every day, they aren't just turning off the lights in their brains for the day. And, yes, even the big bad union has been instrumental in the shift. The BSD teachers fought for, and won, more latitude in the curriculum they provide and flexibility to teach to the student, and not to the test.

    But none of these things would be successful if it weren't for the passion and dedication of the teachers and administrators themselves, These folks have worked tirelessly within a broken system to change the landscape of our district. They have been willing to change the stuff that was broken and move around resources quickly to meet challenges where needed. They have been ultra-responsive to parents and have made themselves available to parents through multiple mediums from face to face conferences to email to sharepoint pages and websites.

    This passion and dedication is infectious and has flowed down to the students and the parents, and it has made a difference. Our neighborhood schools are no longer in distress. Our kids are excited to go to school and the work they bring home is interesting and not over-burdensome. And the parents come out in droves to school activities.

    So, having said all that, I have to say I am disappointed in reading Bernstein's letter since it reflects a man who seems to have not been willing to push out of the box for his students and ultimately gave up on them. I'm not saying that he could/should have been a superhero and fixed it all himself, but his letter didn't mention even a feeble attempt to change the bad system he worked in. Rather, it seemed more to be a bitter CYA to the higher ed system when he does not seem to recognize that apathy breeds apathy and he may be more of the problem than he realizes.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Rick W7PSK wrote...
    Worst idea ever by a president
    March 15, 2013 10:49 am
    Bush blew it with this as well as the 4 senators that wrote it.

    John Boehner (R-OH) George Miller (D-CA) Senators Edward Kennedy (D-MA) Judd Gregg (R-NH)

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Mavila wrote...
    "No Child Left Behind"...
    March 15, 2013 11:07 am
    was a bad idea and not entirely Bush's fault since there was overwhelming Democratic support for it as well. It was one of those bipartisan thingies that liberals always like to croon over.

    However, if anyone thinks the Washington DC school system was churning out college worthy prospects before NCLB, well, you're just fooling yourself.

    Incidentally, I've seen a number of stories about teacher antipathy toward these standardized tests here on MNW - is there no one that supports the testing that one of these intrepid reporters can find and interview?

    Oh, and I agree - get rid of the federal Department of Education. One of the most worthless and ineffectual federal agencies of all time.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Riding wrote...
    Folks Just Don't Get It
    March 15, 2013 1:36 pm
    There is no denying our education system has many shortcomings, but it amazes me how many parents are completely unaware the primary problem is at home. Let me explain. I spent seven years living in South Korea, and tutored English conversation to young students in my spare time. South Korean students rank higher than US students in almost every measure of academic performance. However, their schools are in most cases less equipped. Their class sizes are larger. Their school teachers usually don't come from South Korea's most prestigious universities and they aren't particularly well paid. Why is it then they are outperforming our students? It's all about education related expectations set at home. In addition to personal involvement in their children's school work at home, all parents who can afford to do so also send their kids to receive additional instruction or tutoring at institutes outside of school. It's because of this kind of emphasis on education at home that South Korean students living here in the US consistently find themselves at the top of the class in our 'broken' schools as well.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Mavila wrote...
    Asking kids to value...
    March 15, 2013 1:45 pm
    excellence in their own education would make the poor performers fell bad. So, we can't do that!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • gaymarriedchristianfromhollywood wrote...
    I love this blog.
    March 16, 2013 7:06 am
    Listening to conservatives go on and on about the horrible teachers and at the same time preach about personal responsibility is hilarious. Parents need to take responsibility for their children and not expect the teacher to work miracles with their snotty little brats who lack respect and have no manners.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Mavila wrote...
    How do you know...
    March 16, 2013 11:55 am
    conservatives don't take that responsibility seriously? Your generalization is unfounded.

    I would say in response that it is amusing to listen to liberals defend, ad nauseum, what is widely considered an inferior product - public schools - which are run largely by the liberal establishment.

    Talk about not taking responsibility.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • gaymarriedchristianfromhollywood wrote...
    Charter schools have not been proven to work any better.
    March 16, 2013 1:45 pm
    Only 17% outperformed public schools and 37% actually performed worst. The rest did about the same. Of course public schools are a liberal establishment. Who else would want to do a job that gets little respect, relatively little money, no support from parents, and are constantly attacked by right wing morons? Really, the payout is so low compared to all the heartache teaching is almost like charity.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Mavila wrote...
    Where did I say anything about...
    March 16, 2013 3:55 pm
    charter schools?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • gaymarriedchristianfromhollywood wrote...
    What's your alternative then?
    March 16, 2013 4:48 pm
    Charter schools aren't working. Private schools haven't been proven to be any better than public schools. Should everybody just homeschool?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Mavila wrote...
    I'm glad you can admit...
    March 16, 2013 7:09 pm
    that the liberal establishment has done a poor job with public education.

    That's good.

    Acknowledging the problem is the first step.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • gaymarriedchristianfromhollywood wrote...
    Says the loser with no ideas.
    March 16, 2013 9:13 pm
    I clearly said the problem was not the teachers but people like you who have nothing to add to the conversation but a lot of whimpering and whining...thanks for proving my point though about conservatives having nothing helpful to add. Thumbs up!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Mavila wrote...
    And the circle is complete.
    March 17, 2013 7:29 am
    A brief moment of revelation and then it's back to the darkness of trenches.

    I really have no interest in discussing "ideas" or "alternatives" with anyone who insists on staying in the trenches defending a failed system.

    That behavior right there is the problem - defending the indefensible - regardless of whether or not you want to acknowledge it (which you obviously don't).

    Your ad hominem tantrums aren't exactly inviting either.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • gaymarriedchristianfromhollywood wrote...
    ha, that's funny
    March 17, 2013 9:31 am
    don't try to be deep, I've stepped in deeper puddles. Like most conservatives your posts are nothing more than pitiful insults and a lot of whining. It's the conservative mantra, whine whine, snivel, snivel, blame the left.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Cameron wrote...
    Funny this was a WAPO artical over a month ago....
    March 16, 2013 11:23 am
    Here is the Link to the entire article. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/02/09/a-warning-to-college-profs-from-a-high-school-teacher/
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Cameron wrote...
    More about Kenneth Bernstein
    March 16, 2013 11:26 am
    Netroots, yearly Kos, Yes this guy sounds just like the kind of unbias resource that the KIRO Morning News would cite. What is the matter, could get a real communist to comment to Dave in Cuba? http://www.netrootsnation.org/profile/kenneth-bernstein/
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Mavila wrote...
    I figured...
    March 16, 2013 11:47 am
    as much.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }