4
4 - Tuesday, April 8, 2008
bE 1ihd igan 3al'V
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ANDREW GROSSMAN
EDITOR IN CHIEF
GARY GRACA
EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR
GABE NELSON
MANAGING EDITOR
Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily's editorial board. All other signed articles
and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.
The Daily's public editor, PaultH. Johnson, actsoas the readers' representative and takes a critical look at
coverage and content in every section of the paper. Readers are encouraged to contact the public editor
with questions andcomments. He canbe reached at publiceditor@umich.edu.
F ROM T HE DAI LY
Focusing on the basics
Test reveals flaws in education, begs for action
What if only 25 percent of high school students were pro-
ficient in basic algebra? Or if only 25 percent of students
could explain a basic scientific process like photosyn-
thesis? Twenty-five percent - in terms of education, it's a pretty low
percentage. But, according to a test administered by the National
Assessment of Education Progress, that's the percentage of high
school seniors who are able to write proficiently. Whether that's
the result or poor testing or inadequate schooling, it is not a num-
ber that can be ignored. If we hope to have an educated country we
need schools that give students the basic skills to succeed, some-
thing often lost in the debate.
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
N:T. L QOTABL
It is inadmissible that the games are
taking place in the world's biggest prison:'
- Green Party activist Sylvain Garel, protesting China's human rights record in Tibet
at the Olympic Torch relay in Paris, as reported yesterday by CBS News.
Concentrating on choice
A bout halfway through an centrator there over the years. department. It's true that I don't have
exchange with someone at a The Daily's story on the changes a stock answer prepared about some
party last weekend, it became (Lacking direction, English Dept. pared-down subconcentration, but it's
clear that acknowl- adds new areas of study, 04/04/2008) beginning to occur to me that such is
edgment of our offered the sentiment I've heard from part of the appeal. The concentration
graduation later most graduating seniors who have requires a certain number of credits in
this month wasn't done work in the department - that different time periods and in different
going to sustain us it fgures that they'd do this right as literary disciplines already, so it's not
through the cus- we're aboutcto graduate - and one less as if I floated from class to class, I just
tomary small-talk frequent, the fear that these changes took my interests on a semester-to-
cycle. I had already might restrict the ability of students semester basis.
told him I was in to move around in the department at My concern is that this announce-
the Department of will. ment taps into the sizeable percep-
English, but lately, JEFFREY Like one of the professors quoted tion that the undergraduate English
I've found, that isn't BLOOMER in the story, I doubt that will happen, program is an easy way to avoid tak-
enough. if only because I have found consis- ing class seriously, and the damaging
"But what do you tently that the faculty who teach in paradigm that might create for those
do?" he asked. "What did you study?" the department are some of the most of us who feel comfortable deciding
My father had asked me the same flexible on campus. It isn't that the
question a few weeks ago as he ordered department isn't challenging, because
my graduation announcements. He it certainly can be, it's just that it's one
wanted to include a "specialty," and of the most cooperative at the Univer- The many ways to
asked what that might be. Well, I've sity in terms of allowing (and compel-
done stuff with film, I told him. I had ling) students to do what they like how navigate the
a few classes about gender and lit- they like it. Attendance is the corner-
erature. The modernists took up a lot stone of most classes, but as long as English Dep't
of time. "Huh," he said; wasn't I into you conform to those standards, there
journalism or something? Eventually is almost always room for original and
I just told him to put down whatever unique directions to take coursework.
he wanted. Many students outside the depart- our own paths. Scotti Parrish, direc-
I am apparently not the first person ment probably think "original and tor of the undergraduate English pro-
who studied English at the University unique directions" translates roughly gram, told the Daily last week that
and for which this question has posed to "blow-off class." To be honest, it students "felt like they weren't com-
a problem. The department recently can, and the 27-credit English major on ing out an expert of anything," and
announced that it will begin to offer the whole has in my experience come so the department "thought we could
"fields of specialty" in the fall, which down to what students make of it. The create a map for them." That's fine,
seem to mirror (ifnotreplicate)the cre- elite Honors program in the depart- but the tradition I appreciated in the
ative writing subconcentration and the ment might have limited admission English department is one of choice,
Honors program by offering students compared with some departments in of an open system of concentration
particular sequences of study that the College of Literature, Science and that set it apart from many other dis-
focus on specific historical, geographi- the Arts, but it's reasonably accessible ciplines at the University.
cal, cultural or analytic traditions. to students who have a demonstrated I hope the new specialties can help
I suppose I applaud the changes interest and discipline. Then there is guide the students who wanted more
in the sense that they seem designed also the possibility never to take a class direction, but even more so that the
mostly to help students navigate the with fewer than 40 students and slip faculty who implement it will allow
considerable list of English courses under the radar of the department's students a more exploratory path
every semester. Having studied in the more intense pursuits altogether. should they choose it.
department and endeared myself to I fall somewhere in the middle,
its open structure, though, I wonder if and that fit my time at the University Jeffrey Bloomer was the Daily's fall/'
the changes don't confirm many of the well given my other campus commit- winter managing editor in 2007. He can
stereotypes I've encountered as a con- ments and my desire to explore the be reached at bloomerj@umich.edu.
KEVIN BUNKLEY' V T
Not great, but still not the worst
Administered to eighth graders and high
school seniors, the nationwide writing test
was overseen by NAEP and consisted of two
25-minute essays. The results, released last
Thursday, found that only 25 percent of high
school seniors write at a "proficient" level.
Eighth-graders fared slightly better: 33 per-
cent of them were able to write proficiently.
NAEP officials were quoted as being
encouraged by the results of the test. They
said they were happy that the results were
comparable to those from a similar test in
2002 and hadn't declined in the past six
years. At least students aren't getting worse,
right? Wrong. The fact that only 25 per-
cent of high school seniors are able to write
proficiently should be unacceptable. It is a
disgustingly low percentage. More impor-
tantly, it's aproblem that stays with students
beyond high school into college and the
workplace.
Granted, the NAEP test plays into the
dangers of standardized testing. In a school
system under the No Child Left Behind Act,
a school reform instituted in 2001 under
the Bush administration, the standardized
test reigns supreme. Yet, the results of stan-
dardized testing can often be manipulated
to seem encouraging when they are not,
allowing some failingschool systems to hide
behind misleading scores.
These problems with standardized test-
ing are emblematic of the larger problem
in America's schools. In the classroom, the
emphasis on teaching to the test has led stu-
dents and teachers alike to forget about the
actual learning process. It takes time away
from improving teaching strategies, making
sure that students are learning the funda-
mentals and giving students the attention
that they deserve.
The government should mandate a system
in which schools and teachers are given the
training and resources they need to focus on
providing students the skills they need to
succeed in a competitive workforce. Unlike
the unfunded mandate that is No Child
Left Behind, the government can also put
its money where its mouth is. Otherwise,
schools are giving the message to get better,
but not the means.
While the NAEP test could be viewed as
a sign that our schools are preparing 25 per-
cent of their students with proficient writing
skills, that's adistortedview.More accurate-
ly, these schools are failing 75 percent of the
students. That statistic deserves Congres-
sional attention.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS:
Emad Ansari, Harun Buljina, Anindya Bhadra, Kevin Bunkley, Ben Caleca, Satyajeet Deshmukh,
Milly Dick, Mike Eber, Emmarie Huetteman, Theresa Kennelly, Emily Michels, Arikia Millikan,
Kate Peabody, Robert Soave, Imran Syed, Neil Tambe, Matt Trecha, Kate Truesdell,
Radhika Upadhyaya, Rachel Van Gilder, Rachel Wagner, Patrick Zabawa.
KATE PEABODYVEP T
An earl start on study abroad
Pundits and columnists alikehave
grappled with a compelling ques-
tion about President Bush's legacy:
Is Bush the worst president in his-
tory? Recently, late-night talk show
host Bill Maher offered his take on
"Larry King Live," saying, "He's the
worst. Ever." While this is a relative
judgment - Bush isn't indisputably
the worst president in our history
- there is no question that his ten-
ure at the White House has been a
failure.
Bush himself takes a more pas-
sive approach to the issue of his leg-
acy, saying, "I will let history be my
judge." But you don't have to go that
far back to begin to judge his tenure.
Looking at the country now, it is
split down the middle. At the center
stand Bush and his flawed presiden-
cy. oddly enough, he declared at the
launch of his campaign nine years
ago, "I am a uniter, not a divider."
But let's put Bush in perspective:
His penchant for ignoring public
opinion, hiring shady people and
losing what decent administration
he had is reminiscent of other poor
presidents. That doesn't make him
the worst president, only one more
in a long line of flawed administra-
tions.
The Harding administration took
bribes for oil land in Wyoming, in a
scheme that would later be called
the Teapot Dome Scandal of 1922. It
also happened that nearly his entire
administration consisted of his
friends from Ohio. Meanwhile, Cal-
vin Coolidge pandered to big busi-
ness and carried out tax favors. His
cabinet was filled with big business-
men. There was Richard Nixon, who
had the government spy on promi-
nent citizens he deemed a threat
to his administration, which led to
Watergate. And although Bush has
yet to be put on trial, his administra-
tion rings reminiscent of these for-
mer presidential woes.
Bush's obsession with nation
building in Iraq is nothing like what
James Polk did during the Mexi-
can-American War in 1846. He sent
diplomat John Slidell to Mexico to
pressure the government into giv-
ing up California and New Mexico
for $20 million. Mexico sent him on
his heels, and Polk was so offended
that he asked Congress to declare
war after fabricating a story that
the Mexican army killed 11 U.S. sol-
diers. Abraham Lincoln dissented
on the grounds that it would give the
president unjust powers with which
to wage war. The war gave Polk the
excuse to draft a treaty that ripped
away 1.2 million square miles of ter-
ritory from Mexico and put Polk's
top general, Zachary Taylor, on the
fast track to becoming president.
Bush likely never read these pas-
sages of history. Otherwise, he
might be wise enough to not repeat
their mistakes, or at least come as
close to repeating them as he does.
The unfulfilling part of his presi-
dencycomesinhislack of successful
policies.
One need only look to the last
State of the Union address to see
a list of empty promises as long as
the National Mall. There are his
ambitious tax cuts that have helped
the top 1 percent of Americans and
pinched almost everyone else in
America, hiking their credit and
mortgage bills. There are also his
attempts to curtail the budget by
$18 billion, while his Iraq endeavor
will drain billions more. Then there
are the 46 million people who can't
afford their medical bills and No
Child Left Behind, which has only
handicapped schools while taking
away funding from the schools that
need it most. He has proposed free
trade agreements, while America
hasincreaseditstrade deficitto$726
billion. He's also harped on immi-
gration reform, but his guest worker
program was never passed. It all
adds up to a lack of administrative
skill - and a lot of disappointment.
Bush's presidential track record
is less than stellar, but it may take a
scandal or two to fully earn this title.
While Bush may not be the worst,
he is far from the best. We must
only wait until November when we
have the opportunity to find a better
president - or maybe the true worst
president ever.
Kevin Bunkley is an LSA senior and a
member of the Daily's editorial board.
4
4
Sixty degrees. Believe it or not, that's about
how hot it got outside yesterday. And while
many of us saw it as a sign to donne our flip-
flops and sunglasses, it was also a reminder
that summer is almost here. To some, sum-
mer brings an opportunity to gain experience
or make money - and for the lucky few, both.
But for many, summer is the vague reminder
that we have increasingly less time to figure
out what the hell we're doing with our life.
I'm two weeks away from my senior year
- that means better football seats, class
schedules and insights into how things work
here. But I'm also that much closer to gradu-
ation, and my future is still as blurry as the
blackboard when I forget to wear my glasses.
I have a sense of my direction, but my time
sitting in classrooms has done little to bring
that picture into focus. How can I choose a
path without hands-on experience?
Sure, there are summer internships, if
you can get your hands on one of those gold-
en tickets. And even if you tried a different
career path every summer, that's only three
four-month spurts of familiarity. Is that
enough?
What if instead of jumping into the four-
year college track, I had taken a year off?
Well, my parents would have had a convuls-
ing fit or maybe a moderately severe heart
attack. The four-year plan is equivalent to
success in our society, and veering from
that model is enough to induce nightmares
among most parents.
Yet, a few months ago, Princeton Univer-
sity introduced just that idea: a pre-college
gap-year program. The proposed program
would send about ten percent of the school's
incoming students to volunteer abroad.
These students wouldn't have to pay tuition
for this extra year, but they would be eligible
for financial assistance. It was described by
Princeton's president Shirley Tilghman as "a
year to regroup."
There are many private programs like this
that students could sign up to take. For exam-
ple, the Council on International Educational
Exchange already helps college-bound stu-
dents find volunteer work or teaching jobs
around the world. But Princeton's program
will be the first of its kind. Hopefully, it will
spark a new trend among higher education.
Many will argue that such a program will
deter students from returning to college.
i
Others will contend that high school gradu-
ates are not mature enough to be sent off
for a year before college. And these people
might be right.
But these hypothetical concerns are out-
weighed by the benefits of such a program.
What if a year really does give students the
ability to reflect on their opportunities, or to
find opportunities in the first place? Taking
time to examine the world and your place in
it seems a bit more grounding than jumping
into a college campus where academic rigor
short-changes the opportunity to explore
and experiment.
Pushed into an unbroken educational
track, students are less likely to be prepared
for jobs and real-world situations after col-
lege. With so many requirements to fulfill,
only two years to pick a concentration and
so little time to think and rethink goals,
coming into college on a set track is practi-
cally a requirement now. Those who wander
their way through different programs and
activities just aren't specialized enough for
employers anymore.
Companies are heralding the need for
experience. Isn't that why we all pander to
their resum6-building requests and spend
ridiculous amounts of time trying to find an
internship? There is no doubt that putting an
extra year of volunteering abroad before col-
lege on your resume would constitute a well-
rounding experience.
I know that I'm driven in part by nostal-
gia. Now, after three years in college, I say
that if the University had offered me the
opportunity to volunteer abroad, I would
have taken it. But, convincing myself and
my parents in this imagined scenario is a lot
easier than it would have been in real life.
Would have I struggled to return to college?
Would have I have any better idea of my
future after graduation?
The point, however, is not that I would
have struggled with these questions. The
point is that Princeton is, pushing students
to ask these questions and take this oppor-
tunity into greater consideration. There are
several ways to find out what you want to do
in the "real world," and maybe taking a year
off would help.
Kate Peabody is an LSA junior and a
Daily associate editorial page editor.
4
ALEXANDER HONKALA
E-MAIL HONKALA AT QUATSCH@UMICH.EDU
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