The Broken Model: Assignment B

The Broken Model: How Standardized Testing Limits Students
Author: Salman Khan
Reading: The Broken Model (Part 2 of The One World Schoolhouse: Education Reimagined)

Author's Argument:
In The Broken Model, Salman Khan’s  argument is that what we have in place in our education system doesn't work today, if even at all. What is in place now relies too much on standardized testing, grades, and labeling students instead of focusing on true learning and mastery. He believes that students learn at different rates and that schools should give every child the opportunity to fully understand concepts before moving on. Instead of measuring intelligence with test scores, Khan believes education should help students reach their full potential through personalized learning.

My Interpretations:
I agreed with many of Khan's ideas while reading this chapter. It made me think about how our current educational system often sets children up for failure instead of success. What kept ringing in my head while reading was the school to prison pipeline. Labeling children at an early age and limiting opportunities before they have a chance to succeed can trickle down to a bunch of negative consequences.

I kept thinking about one recent incident I experienced at my center. The child was receiving speech services, but his mother knew he needed additional support. Although we shared the same concerns, the North Providence School Department kept telling her that because he was "repeating" (the only goal in his IEP), he did not qualify for more services. I felt they were dismissing her concerns and evaluating his skills only "in the moment" instead of looking at his overall development.

I also had to advocate for my own nephew during his kindergarten screening in Tiverton. Because he refused to participate with a screener he did not like, the district concluded that he was not ready for kindergarten and questioned whether he could function in a classroom. I knew that was not true because he attended the childcare center where I work every summer for eight hours a day, successfully following routines and participating in classroom activities. This was another example of evaluating a child based on a single snapshot rather than looking at the whole picture. In my experience, this is far too common, especially for Black and Brown families.

Quotes That Stood Out:
One quote that stood out to me was, "Tests say little or nothing about a student's potential to learn a subject." I completely agree with this statement. There are many ways to assess what a child knows besides standardized testing. We also have to consider attention spans, anxiety, and the fact that some people simply do not test well.

Another quote that resonated with me was, "It's a process of exclusion, which is exactly the opposite of what our schools should be trying to accomplish." This statement immediately reminded me of the school-to-prison pipeline. When students are labeled early, they often receive fewer opportunities, lower expectations, and less support, which can have lifelong consequences.

Lastly, Khan writes, "You have to allow students to explore the subject on their own." I strongly agree because people truly learn by doing. Reading, watching, and memorizing information are helpful, but meaningful learning happens when students actively engage with the material.

Connections:
I found strong similarities between Khan's chapter and the Youtube video we had to watch. Class Dismissed. Both argue that today's education system was originally designed to create obedient workers rather than independent thinkers and that students deserve learning environments that foster creativity, mastery, and critical thinking instead of compliance.

I also found that Khan's arguments closely connect to "Standardized Testing and School Segregation: Like Tinder for Fire?" by Knoester and Au. Both argue that standardized testing reinforces educational inequalities and often reflects existing racial and socioeconomic disparities instead of actual student ability. It also connects to the FairTest article "How Testing Feeds the School-to-Prison Pipeline," which explains how high-stakes testing contributes to students being pushed out of school and into the juvenile justice system.

My Thoughts:
Overall, I really enjoyed reading. It confirmed many beliefs I already had about education while giving me new ways to think about why standardized testing can be harmful. As an education coordinator, I see how labels can follow children before they have had the chance to demonstrate their true abilities. I believe schools should spend less time sorting students into categories and more time helping every child succeed. Every child deserves to be seen for their strengths rather than judged by a single test or one difficult day. This chapter reinforced my belief that equity in education begins with changing how we assess and support children.

Johnson Assignment A

Talking Point 1:

I actually enjoyed reading this article and agreed with a lot of what Johnson was saying. One idea that stood out to me was Johnson's argument that being defensive is what keeps people from becoming part of the solution. I agreed with his point because once someone feels "attacked," they no longer want to participate or help. When Johnson says, "If we dispense with the words, we make it impossible to talk about what's really going on," I was like, EXACTLY!! Because avoiding terms like racism or privilege doesn't solve the problem. Making people feel comfortable doesn't make these issues go away or create change. It is through those uncomfortable conversations that we can begin to create change. Making things "easy" for those with privilege does absolutely nothing.

Talking Point 2:

I was struck by the statement, "Her misfortune is connected to my fortune." I found that to be such a powerful statement that really resonated with me because it shows that privilege and disadvantage are connected, even when people are not intentionally trying to harm others. Simply by being able to go to a store and have a completely different shopping experience than his African American woman colleague, he demonstrates how, in everyday life, he can indirectly contribute to her disadvantage without actually doing anything other than existing as a white male.

Talking Point 3:

Johnson's discussion of race as a social construct is a familiar conversation that we often have in my friend group. His reference to James Baldwin's idea that race is created by society made sense to me because, outside of the United States, people often identify first by their nationality or culture rather than simply by race. We're all from different ethnic backgrounds—Black American, Nigerian American, White American, Dominican American, etc. So, we often have conversations about how race doesn't really exist in our parents' countries the way it does in America. We all agree that colorism plays a role in those cultures, but race does not have the same significance. For example, in Haiti, people identify as Haitian, and being "Black" is not the defining part of their identity because we're all Black. Identity is more likely to be associated with differences in skin tone, from fair skin to dark skin. I also agreed with Johnson's point that people naturally make assumptions about others, such as assuming someone is heterosexual or white, which shows how deeply social stereotypes influence our thinking.

Argument Statement:

Johnson's main argument in this article, is that social inequalities are maintained by systems of privilege and power rather than individual differences. To create lasting change, everyone, especially those who benefit from privilege, has to to recognize these systems are real and be wiling to put their defensiveness aside to actively work together to challenge them.

My Introduction

 

Hi, my name is Ashima Pierre. I was born and raised in Providence, RI to Haitian immigrant parents. I am the youngest of 7 children and 1st generation Haitian - American (all of my siblings were born in Haiti). I currently work at Beautiful Beginnings Child Care Center as one of the education coordinator. I started working there as a substitute fresh out of college and worked my way up. When I'm not in class, I throw a super cool event called Yellow Cup Weekend with my close friends. We officially kicked off our summer season last Saturday in Hartford, CT & surprisingly it was a successful event for our first time in CT. Event planning is a lot of work, but being able to put together something fun and positive for our community is worth the chaos😫😆! On my off days I like to hang with my nieces and nephews, take naps, eat, travel, shop, and enjoy my life. I am a Christian and my relationship with God is super important to me. I’m looking forward to what this class has to offer!