Let's Aim Beyond Standards

By Yuhang Rong

Raised by my grandparents, I grew up in China. After every major exam, my school ranked every student. No matter how well I did, I was never the No. 1 kid in the class, and my grandmother never seemed satisfied. One day after she scolded me again for only scoring 96 on a math test instead of a perfect 100, I resentfully asked her, “Why can’t everyone be number one?” She looked at me with an all-knowing smile and said, “If everyone is number one, then no one is number one.”

After almost 25 years of academic training and a professional education career in the United States (including 15 years as a naturalized American citizen), I notice that in current education achievement debates in this country, we often hear the phrase “high standards.” We hear politicians and commentators sound the alarm that the United States will soon fall behind those nations whose students achieve higher scores in mathematics, the sciences, and reading. And the persistent achievement gap between our minority and white students raises the question of fundamental fairness and equity, with no clear resolution in place.

With the high-stakes accountability measures at hand, as a result of the No Child Left Behind Act, teachers, administrators, and parents are collectively relieved if their schools are not on the “in need of improvement” list. Schools work hard to ensure that their students score at or above the state-defined proficiency level. Once the majority of students have attained the level of proficiency in standardized tests, their school receives accolades as a model “improved school.” Everyone is happy, because everyone is content with being good enough.

The concept behind federal legislation like NCLB is that it ensures that all children have only the minimal knowledge, skills, and disposition to be contributing members of society. Parents often hold on to the notion that they want their children to be “happy” and “enjoy their childhood.” It is much easier for us to reward our children with video games, iPhones, or new cars than it is to push them. It seems to me that, as Americans, we are missing the point. Shouldn’t we be asking if this the goal for which America should aim?

While Amy Chua’s “tiger mother” approach to raising her two daughters provoked us for her tactics and her definition of success, she captured the essential ingredients of education: Learning must be challenging, and achievement is a result of relentlessly high expectations. In other words, achievement requires commitment and dedication. As American educators, it is how we help our children reach for the stars that will distinguish our future generations from the rest of the world.

What are the key aspects of aiming high? Can achievement be successfully married to a happy, healthy childhood?

First, parents must be involved in their children’s education. In order to stay at the top of the knowledge economy, America must produce innovators and inventors who will create the “next big thing.” American businesses and industries are increasingly concerned with the lack of talent in mathematics and the sciences in the workforce. Not uncoincidentally, corporations like Intel are investing $100 million in education annually. Parents are the most effective group in affecting ...

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Yuhang Rong is the assistant dean at the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut. He lived in China from birth until the age of 24. He currently serves on the board of examiners for the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.