The recent tragedy in Arizona have raise some more questions for me about the impact of testing on the ability of schools to carry out their civic purposes. After the shootings, much of the dialogue in the news (at least npr, which is my main source) has focused on civility and the possible role of partisan vitriol in the motivations of the shooter. My son’s daycare sent out a nice note with guidance to help parents talk to their kids about what happened. I am certain that many teachers took time from their classes to talk about the tragedy. Taking time to talk with students about events like this is an important role for teachers. This particular event is especially important to the civic development of students since it has raised so many questions about the current tone of politics and the role and meaning of civility. However, I wonder how many teachers felt that they could not take time to discuss the incident because of scripted curriculum and the pressures of state mandated tests.
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