{"id":30,"date":"2005-12-08T14:22:35","date_gmt":"2005-12-08T20:22:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/index.php\/2005\/12\/08\/education-tests-everyone\/"},"modified":"2006-02-13T14:25:47","modified_gmt":"2006-02-13T20:25:47","slug":"education-tests-everyone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2005\/12\/education-tests-everyone\/","title":{"rendered":"Education tests everyone"},"content":{"rendered":"
Copyright 2005 Ben S. Pollock<\/font><\/h6>\n

. "We have met the enemy, and the enemy is us," says Walt Kelly’s Pogo. (Not Gene Kelly, who never danced punk’s pogo.) That classic Cold War punch line’s almost an affirmation for those of us who consider ourselves enlightened Americans. But as such, a maxim’s never as good as a specific, like:<\/font><\/p>\n

"We have met the enemy, and he is college admissions deans."<\/font><\/p>\n

Rather than "He is": He are. They are. They comprise. I did learn grammar and use it as necessary.<\/font><\/p>\n

When journalists aren’t being harangued by lay people about perceived inadequacies in whatever media pays them, they are asked to commiserate about how young people can’t write. Sometimes it’s that they can’t spell or write grammatically, but often it’s an overall lack of writing ability.<\/font><\/p>\n

College instructors, no matter what specialty, get this as well. I’ve been there, too.<\/font><\/p>\n

Both professions agree with their questioners then proceed to some sort of shrug. Sometimes the shrug comes with some sort of defense that writing, or rather clear communication, is Job 1 for that instructor and even his department. Journalists seem to often point to how they themselves have overcome deficiencies in their education.<\/font><\/p>\n

Enough about me. Wednesday’s Wall Street Journal<\/i> had this article on D1: "Many Colleges Ignore New SAT Writing Test; Essay May Not Predict Academic Success, Critics Say; When the Results Can Help." (If unable to access this — hit the story’s main source<\/a>.<\/font><\/p>\n

The kollege kwiz koaching outfit Kaplan Inc. found 47 percent of the 374 college admissions offices that it queried were "discounting the SAT writing section entirely." As reporter Charles Forelle summarizes: "Some admissions officers say the essay … tests a narrow skill — writing quickly — that isn’t core to a college education." (Quotes are typed in, not cut-and-pasted. Heaven-forbid I risk plagiarism.)<\/font><\/p>\n

A lot of educators, not to mention business executives who will have to hire ignoramuses in coming years because that’s all that’s available, will differ. Putting one’s knowledge into a commonly accessible cohesion to where an instructor can evaluate it, to where a boss can use it, is nearly the whole purpose of education. It may be the sole point where college as a liberal arts force-feed and college as a white-collar vo-tech school can agree.<\/font><\/p>\n

Rather than communicate my anger, here’s quote those deans of renowned schools from the article:<\/font><\/p>\n