Culture and education
When PSS standardized test scores fall, liberal government educators are often quick to point out that American standardized test scores are meaningless because they are “culturally biased.” They claim that these tests do not adequately measure the aptitude of local school children. They claim that cultural considerations create deplorable distortions. And they are right–well, half right at least.
American standardized tests (the SAT and such) are probably culturally distorted to a significant degree. Our liberal educator friends are very likely right on this point. Only a fool would dispute them here.
But this does not mean that the tests are completely meaningless. Our liberal educators are wrong if they make this dangerous assumption. On the contrary, U.S. standardized tests serve a very useful purpose. It is in the CNMI’s best interests to ensure that local students excel in these American standardized tests. CNMI students simply must excel despite the Western cultural bias.
After all, is this not the reason our Public School System has decided to recruit mainland American teachers from all over the United States: to broaden our students’ horizons? To expose them to mainland America and its various cultures?
If CNMI public school students are to be properly educated, they must be able to transcend their own isolated and, truth be told, severely limited local cultural experiences, which, in and of itself, will not adequately prepare them for success in a global but still Western dominated information age economy.
To compete in the New Economy, it is not enough to be aware of local Chamorro culture. CNMI students will not be well served by learning mostly about their own culture. It will not pay off.
If our local students are going to get anywhere in this world, they must learn about America and its culture: its rich history, originally steeped in liberty, except for slavery; its traditions, norms and mores; and, above all, its indefatigable pursuit of progress through a relatively free enterprise system.
It is therefore the Public School System’s sacred responsibility to overcome these Western cultural distortions. The culture gap must be bridged. At the very least, our PSS graduates should at least be able to answer the first few questions on the “Who Wants to be a Millionaire Show?” with Mr. Regis Philbin.
Unfortunately, our own leaders are closed-minded. Our own legislators wish to close the doors to expansive, transcendent learning. They intend to force our PSS teachers to be bilingual–to speak both Chamorro and Carolinian, which is extremely impractical and downright stupid, in part because English is far more important and Chamorro and Carolinian would only detract from far more profitable knowledge and skills.
Come on, Marianas, we can do better than that.
