Time will tell if the grand plan to measure everything in education in the name of reform will produce more engineers, mathematicians, or scientists.   Having recently seen the Broadway production of Wicked I find it hard to fathom that the next generation of artists, musicians, stage production coordinators, choreographers and the like will benefit by SLOs or any metric that the data wonks may create.  Creativity is in fact the most jeopardized commodity that we risk losing if we stay on the current pathway.

Seeing the passion and pure joy exuded by the performers as I sat in the Gershwin Theater, I wondered how will we sustain this part of humanity while being under assault by the so called reformers who seek to narrow the focus of public education?  We know that thousands of people live out their lives in support of the arts for the betterment of civilization the world over.   We are blessed by the creative genius that some among us are driven towards—sometimes in spite of, rather than because of, what some systems do to drive it out of them.

We also know that the narrow focus of the improvements sought in education place tremendous pressure to “perform” on standardized tests leaving less room for “performing” in the more traditional sense of the word.  Crowded out of the agenda is time for recess, play, and the many messy moments of learning.  Losing ground in the race to the top are the many aha moments for all learners who benefit by having time to reflect and think deeply.

As an educator I am grateful to be in the company of those who nurture the souls of young children who aspire to contribute to the tapestry of life through their talent.  As a citizen and patron I looked at the stage production of Wicked and saw the coming together of musicians, actors, costume designers, make up artists, lighting engineers and others becoming mesmerized and uplifted in the process.   As a parent I wonder what my children will be able to preserve with regard to the opportunities afforded to all throughout the ages despite the onslaught from those who claim to know better about how education should “mature” in the 21^st century.