Jamaal BowmanVerified account

Maybe we should take the politics and religion out of education.

Jamaal, I'm very glad to see you running. I have 2 children in NYC public schools, 1 at Brooklyn Tech (who got in with no test prep... and the admissions system is simply wrong) and 1 at the outstanding Young Women's Leadership Sch. (Astoria). the testing regiment is obscene. /1

the testing is abusive. When my daughter was at PS 89Q (an outstanding school, 99% non-white), they had very limited gym (once a week), no music, no arts in 5th grade. at least she had dance! it was test prep all day and all month. /2

it is ridiculous for kids to go through this starting in 3rd grade! and it is bad for the teachers as well. after the tests are over in late spring, the teachers relax and don't do much with them. /3

the charters have pushed this sort of rote learning. while there are some good charters (or so i hear), the charter movement as a whole is a right wing movement fostered by Wall Street and tech billionaires. /4

As well as teaching in depth higher cognitive understanding and critical thinking techniques.

I guess the counter, though, is that standardized tests give people an opportunity to get to college who might not if we didn't have them. The actors paying to get their kids in would be the norm. Idk.....