What’s Wrong with Public and Private Schools?

Progressivism or constructivism, an educational philosophy that places a strong emphasis on the use of human experience as the basis of knowledge, is also known as inquiry-based learning, project-based learning, problem-based learning, student-centered learning or self-directed learning. In recent years, many public and private schools have largely abandoned traditional approaches in favor of progressive approaches to instruction and assessment. In practice, a combination of teacher and student-centered instruction works best to achieve positive student outcomes, including student engagement.

While progressivism seems preferable, it ignores the importance of long-term memory to achieving expertise and thinking critically. ^[1]Cognitive science has demonstrated that long-term memory is the core and dominant aspect of human cognition. People become experts in a particular field because their long-term memory holds vast amounts of information related to that domain. This wealth of knowledge enables them to quickly identify key features of a situation and, often unconsciously, determine the appropriate response (i.e. critical thinking). While working memory is where conscious processing takes place, it is much more fragile compared to long-term memory due to its limited capacity to hold information at any given time. It is important to note that the constraints of working memory only affect new, unlearned information that has not yet been stored in long-term memory. However, when working with previously learned information, these limitations no longer apply.

Progressive educational methods, such as inquiry-based learning, place significant demands on working memory. Proponents of this approach fail to address the well-established limitations of working memory when dealing with novel information.^[2]

Furthermore, it’s not sufficient to simply have students look up information using the Internet or reference materials. This is because students need to have a degree of background knowledge to comprehend and make sense of new information.^[3] Lastly, Project Follow Through, a large-scale educational experiment conducted by the US government in the late 1960s and early 1970s, aiming to identify the most effective teaching methods for educating disadvantaged children from kindergarten through grade 3, found that only direct instruction produced superior student outcomes.^[4]

The failures of progressivism are largely seen through the lens of academic achievement. Public and private schools that have embraced a progressive educational philosophy in terms of academics, however, also typically follow unconventional, “progressive” policies related to other areas, such as grading, discipline, and behavior.

Literacy

Although most schools of education (and state boards of education) have conceded that the “whole language” approach to reading instruction doesn’t work, it’s not commonly understood to be an example of the failure of constructivism^[5]

Germany, Sweden, and France all experienced massive declines in reading scores as evidenced by the Program for International Assessment (PISA) tests once they incorporated progressive methods to instruction. In fact, Germany switched back to core knowledge and scores increased from 22^nd to 10^th in the world^[6]

Mathematics

While a traditional approach to mathematics aims to build strong foundational knowledge through repetition and practice, inquiry-based math emphasizes building “thinking classrooms”. This constructivist approach has become dominant and widespread in classrooms and may be the reason for lower student achievement levels.

Progressive Grading Structures

Standards-based grading refers to assessment based on individual standards or criterion rather than providing a single holistic grade for an assignment (i.e. “A” or “B”). While it is perceived to be a more precise measurement of student performance, the rubrics are cumbersome to develop, and parents have difficulty tracking student progress. More importantly, progressive grading structures remove the social-emotional learning that used to be naturally embedded in the curriculum, as attendance, participation, effort, and behavior are not part of the student’s grade.

Decline in Consequences for Behavior

In a recent EdWeek Research Center survey, 48 percent of educators said their schools or districts are using Restorative Justice – which focuses on repairing harm and reconciliation through activities like small group mediation.^[7] Yet, there is little scientific evidence to support restorative justice.^[8]These results come as schools have reported an increase in disciplinary problems following pandemic school closures.^[9]

Perception That Students Are Fragile

The predominant psychological paradigm is that youth are emotionally fragile and easily traumatized. They should not be exposed to anything that causes anxiety or emotional discomfort. There is a growing body of evidence, however, that the mass coddling of youth is a major contributor, accelerated by technology, of the anxiety epidemic. ^[10] Yet, adolescents need to be exposed to stress and adversity in order to develop the ability to cope with life’s inevitable difficulties and disappointments.

Endnotes

[1] Kirschner, P. A., Sweller, J., & Clark, R. E. (2006). Why minimal guidance during instruction does not work: An analysis of the failure of constructivist, discovery, problem-based, experimental, and inquiry-based Teaching. Educational Psychologist, 42(2), 75-86

[2] Ibid

[3] Hirsch, E. D. (2000). You can always look it up—or can you. American Educator, 24(1), 4-9

[4] Morrell, R. F. (1998). Project follow through: Still ignored. American Psychologist, 53(3), 318. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.53.3.318

[5] Hirsch, E. D. (2020). How to educate a citizen: The power of shared knowledge to unify a nation. Hachette UK.

[6] Ibid

[7] Peetz, C. (2024, April 19). How much educators say they use suspensions, expulsions, and restorative justice. Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/leadership/how-much-educators-say-they-use-suspensions-expulsions-and-restorative-justice/2024/04

[8] Goodwin, B. (2021, October 1). Research matters: Does restorative justice work?. ASCD. https://ascd.org/el/articles/research-matters-does-restorative-justice-work

[9] National Center for Education Statistics. (2022, July 6). More than 80 Percent of U.S. Public Schools Report Pandemic Has Negatively Impacted Student Behavior and Socio-Emotional Development. https://nces.ed.gov/whatsnew/press_releases/07_06_2022.asp

[10] Haidt, J. (2024, April 22). Generation anxiety: Smartphones have created a gen Z mental health crisis – but there are ways to fix it. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/mar/24/the-anxious-generation-jonathan-haidt-book-extract-instagram-tiktok-smartphones-social-media-screens?scrlybrkr=acc82209

NVCA

At Northern Virginia Classical Academy we believe that the best way to prepare students for the future is to provide them with a strong intellectual foundation, moral character, and a deep appreciation for truth and wisdom.

What’s Wrong with Public and Private Schools?