Completed Chart

	Tallinger	Taylor	Brindle	Williams
Race/ Ethnicity	White	Black	White	Black
Language	English	English	English	English
Religion	Catholic or Protestant	Catholic or Protestant	Catholic or Protestant	Catholic or Protestant
Economics/ Employ.	Each is a consultant – Mr. T works in fundraising & Mrs. T in personnel Combined annual income $175,000 – flexible hours but work evenings & weekends; also includes often traveling. Money never mentioned in front of the kids. Experiencing financial problems – firm not paying out on time leads to $7000 penalties in mortgage	- Mr. T currently unemployed – formally worked for social services including counseling for drug related issues. - he doesn’t pay child support Ms. T works as a secretary - has a car that works  occasionally - annual income $20,000 - money is an issue and spoken about in this household often	- Currently Unemployed and hopes to return to work once Melmel starts school (18 months old) - collects food stamps and cash stipends - Mr. B pays the Dept. of Human Services child support to offset the public assistance payment to the family - money is often spoken about in front of the children	- Mrs. W is a high-level manager in a major corporation: overnight trip at least once a month - Mr. W is a trial lawyer in a small firm handling medical malpractice cases -  preparing the cases keeps him busy from 5am to midnight for two weeks each month; otherwise he works until 6pm - combined annual income is over $200,000 - they rarely discuss money with Alexander
Housing	42 yr. Old two story house on a cul-de-sac/ Big green lawns – swimming pool	Rented 4 bedroom, three story house	- Small rundown 3 bedroom apt - not well maintained: leaky ceiling and many roaches - often the washers and dryers don’t work	- A 6 bedroom, large, old stone house with an expansive porch  and a sweeping  lawn - it is immaculately kept and expensively furnished
Geography	Quiet suburb near major northeastern city	Pretty quiet neighborhood with crime everywhere – father lives in an apt. in the city “the ghetto”	White working-class neighborhood that is dominated by small houses	Quiet street in a middle-class white neighborhood in a major northeastern city
Food	Often eat out at fast food restaurants like Taco Bell after practices –meals together determined by the boy’s activ.	Weekly go out for fast food and once a month go to a restaurant such as Sizzler	Nearest grocery store is a 20 min bus ride away - relies on food stamps: food is in short supply	- Spend most of their time in the kitchen - eats pretty well: fruits and vegetables - food is not an issue
Norms/ Values	Concerted Cultivation plays a huge role in development – Garrett’s scheduled  activities define  the families pace of life – extended family members not a large part of this family’s organization except for holidays.	Natural Development – mother & father separated - append Miss to all female adult names - sister Anisha (13) cares for Tyrec after school while the mother is still working - plays with children of all ages outside of the house and develops skills in mediation, conflict management, personal responsibility, and strategizing	Natural Development – don’t feel that the kids’ leisure time is of any real importance - Katie’s father is inconsistently involved in her life -All of her siblings are of different fathers - very independent: fixes herself soup after school and joined a school choir - is concerned she is fat – she isn’t - was sexually molested in the first grade - cousin is Katie’s best friend - extended family is very much a part of Katie’s life and often stays with her grandmother	Concerted Cultivation plays a huge role in development – Especially language and its use towards entitlement - By the time weekends come the family is exhausted but continue for the benefits to Alexander - Alexander is bored without structured activities – interacts with boys his age only through activities - consider themselves close to extended family (live far away) by talking via telephone and visiting 3 to 4 times a year
Politics	N/A	Mr. T has opinions on many issues, including the state of the world, which he offers freely to anyone who will listen	N/A	- Concerned about the impact of race on Alexander: “it isn’t going to define who he is.”
Relationship w/ Local Geography	N/A	- Where Mr. T lives is the “ghetto” - utilizes the shops in the white neighborhood close by	- Katie takes the bus to Grandma’s by herself (20 min ride)	-the only black family in the white neighborhood in which they live
Formal Education – Level + Type	Both hold bachelor’s degrees from same Ivy League College & were involved in sports	Mr. T dropped out of school when he was young + reading is difficult for him. Ms. T is a high school graduate	Ms. B earned her GED	- Mrs. W has a master’s degree in liberal arts from an elite college - Mr. W earned his J.D. degree from a well-regarded private university
Structures/ Institutions	Baseball, Piano lesson, International Soccer, Forest Soccer, Swim Team, Saxophone, Cub Scouts + tryouts and tournaments.	Summer day camp, Sunday School, + Vacation bible School for the summer + football	After school choir	School activities, church life, soccer games, choir, piano,  + baseball
Class	Middle-Class	Working-Class	Working-Class/Poor	Middle-Class

 

	McAllister	Marshall	Handlon	Driver
Race/ Ethnicity	Black	Black	White	White
Language	English	English	English	English
Religion	Catholic or Protestant	Catholic or Protestant	Catholic or Protestant	Catholic or Protestant
Economics/ Employ.	- Currently unemployed and receives public assistance, but hopes to work again - Do not own a car - Do not have a telephone -Receives aid from Aid to Families with Dependent Children - Receives food stamps - has a medical card for doctor visits	- Mrs. M is employed full time in the computer industry: telecommunicates once a week and the other days travels fifty miles round trip. - Mr. M is employed as a civil servant: he works nights 6 days a week, is not required to travel and leaves at 2:30am. - Combined income $100,000 per, but worries about money because of lack of job security in the computer industry: they have down-sized in recent years	- Mr. H works as a credit manager in a major corporation - Mrs. H is employed as a secretary. She works 30 hours per week. - family income of $85,000-$95,000 a year and take much of their middle class status for granted: they have many electronics and each adult has a car.	- Ms. D works as a secretary for fourteen years - Annual income between $15,000-$25,000 + weekend job as a waitress Mr. D passed away – never paid child support - Mr. Fallon is in the flooring business and earns $20,000 working every other weekend and many holidays - money is an issues that is talked about frequently: sometimes for hours - in order to pay for Wendy’s tutor, Ms. D has to walk to work instead of the bus
Housing	Lower Richmond public housing project – 2 story apt. - Refrigerator is broken - Roaches a constant problem - Sidewalks are littered with glass, paper, and wrappers.	4 Bedroom house on a circular street lined with recently built, two story suburban homes with a market value of $200,000 - small front yard - driveway with a basketball hoop - large backyard	4 Bedroom, two story red brick house worth $245,000 in a homogenous suburban neighborhood	Rented 3 Bedroom two-story brick house which is larger than most homes of working class families. -Rent is $650 a month
Geography	Off of a busy street, a few blocks from a small business area - Residents are all African American along with the surrounding area: there is a white working-class neighborhood within walking distance - Housing project is considered a dangerous area	Well-to-do racially integrated, suburban neighborhood: transitional area - bordered with a central city with one side consisting of an all-black middle class neighborhood and a predominantly white-neighborhood on the other side	White suburban neighborhood	White urban working class neighborhood not a car’s drive away from surrounding black communities
Food	Food is often in short supply - they must ask permission before eating something - on special occasions food may be plentiful,  but more often, there is not enough to go around	N/A	Eat meals together	Food is in ample supply and children often ask for items when they go to the store
Norms/ Values	Natural Development Television is always on – plays sports outside “doing the same thing over and over is fun.” - Parents separated, but father buys pizza every Friday night and sometimes sleeps on the couch - 5 to 7 people sleep - children sleep in different beds on different nights	Concerted Cultivation plays a large part in development - Mother speaks out and intervenes in Stacy’s institutional life - Always looks to put the blame on someone else: the teachers need to adjust to Stacy’s learning style – the gymnastics instructor is at fault… - Feels that there is an underlying race issue to the circumstances of her child’s encounters, but proceeds cautiously until she has enough evidence – Art the bus driver.	Concerted Cultivation a large part of Melanie’s development: mother worries that if Melanie is not involved in organized activities, they will have no one to play with after school or during breaks – but also believes that children should have free unstructured time. - Misses school frequently - feels Melanie has a lot of homework; it’s too hard and helps her every night for 2-3 hours - Mother fails to bring Melanie to school on time or comply with the school bureaucratic rules of the school. - Mother is in denial of Melanie’s learning problem and the fact that her missing school influences her learning and grades - intervenes awkwardly in Melanie’s schooling	Natural Development: extended family plays a major role in Wendy’s life - family events are very important to them - her two best friends are her cousins - Wendy enjoys the little things of life: loves to play outside and watch the lightning - Plays with all white girls
Politics	N/A	- Mrs. M believes that intervening in Stacy’s “world” will give her the best opportunities instead of Stacy working to attain whatever she seeks. Ex. The gymnastics instructor confrontation – moving Stacy to a new level, IQ test & class, Girl Scouts. - Believes their race influences the way they are treated: Gymnastics instructor & Art, the Bus Driver	N/A	N/A
Relationship w/ Local Geography	N/A	N/A	N/A	- neighborhood is safe enough to walk to local stores, Wendy’s dance lessons and religious instruction
Formal Education – Level + Type	High School Graduate? - was a high school athlete	- Mrs. M is a college graduate and holds a masters degree in Math. The black sorority she pledged for is still a big part of her life. - Mr. M was active in his fraternity during his undergraduate years.	- Mrs. H completed 2 years of junior college - Mr. H  has an M.A. in credit and financial management	Ms. D has a high school diploma - Mr. Fallon is a high school graduate
Structures/ Institutions	N/A	Church: Sunday school, youth choir, + junior ushers. A series of different summer camps, basketball, gymnastics, horseback riding, piano lessons	- Every Sunday Church service, Sunday school and youth choir practice - piano lessons, Girl Scouts: Cookies for the homeless” school holiday performance + special holiday performances for her church Christmas show.  –swim team	CCD and dance lessons
Class	Working-Class/poor	Middle-Class	Middle-Class	Working-Class

 

 

	Yanelli
Race/ Ethnicity	White
Language	English
Religion	Catholic or Protestant
Economics/ Employ.	- Mrs. Y works off the books cleaning houses for $12 - Mr. Y is a house painter - they do not have health insurance - were once on welfare - do not have a checking account - Money is always tight
Housing	Small 2 bedroom brick house: open the front door right to the curb
Geography	White working class neighborhood with narrow streets and narrow houses All black neighborhood a few blocks away
Food
Norms/ Values	Natural Development: Billy plays with other children from the neighborhood, watched television and goes with his mother to run errands. -He is often in trouble at school - The Y’s are close to their extended family - The family uses directives to get their point across: Billy Shower, Billy Move- gets hit with a leather belt -feel school was a threatening force
Politics	N/A
Relationship w/ Local Geography	N/A
Formal Education – Level + Type	Both parents dropped out of high school
Structures/ Institutions	Baseball and Mr. Y is Billy’s coach
Class	Working Class

 

 

Online Assignment

2.             The cost of living in New Jersey is incredibly high; from rent, to taxes, food, health care, transportation expenses, childcare, and etc. The families in Unequal Childhoods, especially the working-class/poor families would all experience a tremendously lower standard of living if they moved to/lived in New Jersey. It would be especially hard on the Taylor, McAllister, and Brindle families because all of the households are run by a single female parent and have very limited funds coming in. Tyrec Taylor’s mother works as a secretary and only earns $20,000 a year, which according to the Self Sufficiency Standard for Essex County, would barely accommodate one adult ($20,732), nevermind a family consisting of one adult, a ten year old, a thirteen year old, and an eighteen year old. The “providers” of the two other families, the McAllister’s and the Brindles, are both unemployed and receive food stamps and cash stipends, along with public assistance. The rent alone for the Brindle family is hard to sustain at $650 and compared to the rent costs in New Jersey, which are the highest in the nation, they would not be able to afford livable housing conditions for that amount of money. Their living conditions now are subjected to leaky ceilings, roaches, and broken washers and dryers. The McAllister family doesn’t have enough food to go around especially with all of the extra people that live there; the eleven members of extended family that sleep and eat in the McAllister home on a weekly basis. The children have to ask permission before eating food. When there is food, there is often not enough for second helpings. The cost of food in Essex County for one adult, an infant, a preschooler, and a schoolage child is $639. Ms. McAllister certainly would not be able to feed eleven family members in Essex County New Jersey on food stamps at this cost. The Driver family, although run by Ms. Driver and her boyfriend earn only between $15,000-$25,000 a year. In order to live in Essex County, they would need to bring in near $50,716 to live according to the efficiency standards.

 

3.             According to the Legal Services of New Jersey, both the McAllister and Brindle families would be categorized with the poverty level of New Jersey. Both are single parents and the LSNJ states that the poverty rates are higher for single parent mothers.

Although both families receive financial assistance, the quality of life, the struggle to make ends met would be far greater in New Jersey. Ms. Brindle doesn’t work because of the expense incurred on providing childcare for Melmel. Essentially, if she did work, nearly all of the funds earned would go to the cost of childcare, which is extremely expensive. In Cresskill, New Jersey, for a 9am to 3pm program, early childcare costs around $1100 per month. Ms. McAllister, with schoolaged children and being a minority, has a larger disadvantage due to her race as the LSNJ states that poverty is much higher for minorities. In the McAllister home the financial burden of providing for the extended family as well would make food even scarcer and much harder to provide for the necessities such as food and clean clothing in New Jersey.

 

4.             I feel that learning about the different the families, how they function, survive, their influences, and struggles has been an eye opener for me. Before reading Unequal Childhoods, I had never made a genuine connection to life outside of school and school. What each family (student) faces outside of school truly influences everything they do in school. I think as an educator, I should know about the community and the families who live there to better understand my students. Although this information has been very interesting and at times disturbing, I don’t feel that my overall teaching objectives will change. However, I will be more aware of my community and how my students live, which will provide me with an open-mind to adjust my teaching style to my students’ needs. It is hard to come from a different way of life, or mind set, without bringing the stereotypes that are ingrained in us, to a place that has true hardship and poverty to say that you understand what a student or the students may be living through. I think my hardest challenge is going to be able to relate to my students on that level, but I know I will try my best…that is all I can do. 

Chart to be continued...

	Tallinger	Taylor	Brindle	Williams
Race/ Ethnicity	White	Black	White	Black
Language	English	English	English	English
Religion	Catholic or Protestant	Catholic or Protestant	Catholic or Protestant	Catholic or Protestant
Economics/ Employ.	Each is a consultant – Mr. T works in fundraising & Mrs. T in personnel Combined annual income $175,000 – flexible hours but work evenings & weekends; also includes often traveling. Money never mentioned in front of the kids. Experiencing financial problems – firm not paying out on time leads to $7000 penalties in mortgage	- Mr. T currently unemployed – formally worked for social services including counseling for drug related issues. - he doesn’t pay child support Ms. T works as a secretary - has a car that works  occasionally - annual income $20,000 - money is an issue and spoken about in this household often	- Currently Unemployed and hopes to return to work once Melmel starts school (18 months old) - collects food stamps and cash stipends - Mr. B pays the Dept. of Human Services child support to offset the public assistance payment to the family - money is often spoken about in front of the children	- Mrs. W is a high-level manager in a major corporation: overnight trip at least once a month - Mr. W is a trial lawyer in a small firm handling medical malpractice cases -  preparing the cases keeps him busy from 5am to midnight for two weeks each month; otherwise he works until 6pm - combined annual income is over $200,000 - they rarely discuss money with Alexander
Housing	42 yr. Old two story house on a cul-de-sac/ Big green lawns – swimming pool	Rented 4 bedroom, three story house	- Small rundown 3 bedroom apt - not well maintained: leaky ceiling and many roaches - often the washers and dryers don’t work	- A 6 bedroom, large, old stone house with an expansive porch  and a sweeping  lawn - it is immaculately kept and expensively furnished
Geography	Quiet suburb near major northeastern city	Pretty quiet neighborhood with crime everywhere – father lives in an apt. in the city “the ghetto”	White working-class neighborhood that is dominated by small houses	Quiet street in a middle-class white neighborhood in a major northeastern city
Food	Often eat out at fast food restaurants like Taco Bell after practices –meals together determined by the boy’s activ.	Weekly go out for fast food and once a month go to a restaurant such as Sizzler	Nearest grocery store is a 20 min bus ride away - relies on food stamps: food is in short supply	- Spend most of their time in the kitchen - eats pretty well: fruits and vegetables - food is not an issue
Norms/ Values	Concerted Cultivation plays a huge role in development – Garrett’s scheduled  activities define  the families pace of life – extended family members not a large part of this family’s organization except for holidays.	Natural Development – mother & father separated - append Miss to all female adult names - sister Anisha (13) cares for Tyrec after school while the mother is still working - plays with children of all ages outside of the house and develops skills in mediation, conflict management, personal responsibility, and strategizing	Natural Development – don’t feel that the kids’ leisure time is of any real importance - Katie’s father is inconsistently involved in her life -All of her siblings are of different fathers - very independent: fixes herself soup after school and joined a school choir - is concerned she is fat – she isn’t - was sexually molested in the first grade - cousin is Katie’s best friend - extended family is very much a part of Katie’s life and often stays with her grandmother	Concerted Cultivation plays a huge role in development – Especially language and its use towards entitlement - By the time weekends come the family is exhausted but continue for the benefits to Alexander - Alexander is bored without structured activities – interacts with boys his age only through activities - considered themselves close to extended family (live far away) by talking via telephone and visiting 3 to 4 times a year
Politics	N/A	Mr. T has opinions on many issues, including the state of the world, which he offers freely to anyone who will listen	N/A	- Concerned about the impact of race on Alexander: “it isn’t going to define who he is.”
Relationship w/ Local Geography	N/A	- Where Mr. T lives is the “ghetto” - utilizes the shops in the white neighborhood close by	- Katie takes the bus to Grandma’s by herself (20 min ride)	-the only black family in the white neighborhood in which they live
Formal Education – Level + Type	Both hold bachelor’s degrees from same Ivy League College & were involved in sports	Mr. T dropped out of school when he was young + reading is difficult for him. Ms. T is a high school graduate	Ms. B earned her GED	- Mrs. W has a master’s degree in liberal arts from an elite college - Mr. W earned his J.D. degree from a well-regarded private university
Structures/ Institutions	Baseball, Piano lesson, International Soccer, Forest Soccer, Swim Team, Saxophone, Cub Scouts + tryouts and tournaments.	Summer day camp, Sunday School, + Vacation bible School for the summer + football	After school choir	School activities, church life, soccer games, choir, piano,  + baseball
Class	Middle-Class	Working-Class	Working-Class/Poor	Middle-Class

Group Intro

Introduction

 

“When will I ever use this in my life?” and “Why do I have to learn this?” are two very common questions that school aged children ask everyday.  These questions can easily be answered by telling them that they need to do well on their next test and if they do well in school that they will get into a good college. From a very early age students are encouraged to take their schooling seriously and obtain an education, for one’s future success is almost always inextricably linked to a sound formal education. History has taught us that the ideal situation for an individual involves obtaining a formal education, being successful at exams, graduating with honors and finding a stable job or building a prosperous career. However, some students, especially in urban areas like Newark, New Jersey are not getting the education needed to become competent and successful members of society. The matter of changing school and curriculum (educational reform) to compensate for the rapidly changing world in which these schools and it student’s exist has been an ongoing battle of both failure and success in particularly urban areas. For instance, most of the students in and around the Hawthorne Avenue area in Newark come from lower income, working class families that are just barely making ends meet. Many of the parent(s) in these families have low educational backgrounds and this lower education is correlated to the lower income status that they presently possess.

 

President George Bush, in an effort to raise failing schools (classified by students who are falling behind), in primarily urban areas, proposed No Child Left Behind (NCLB); a series of standardized tests and guidelines for meeting an Annual Yearly Percentage (AYP) for various subject areas or the school in concern receives less funding or ultimately is closed down. There are a number of perceived inherent problems of the NCLB act and its implementation which currently dictates and drives the focus of teaching at both public and private schools across the country. Numerous reports have emerged showing the achievement gaps which exist between different components of society, be it against racial, cultural, religious or social divides. However, the fundamental underlying common denominator remains what is taught in schools. What is the role of the curriculum in future success? The reality remains that the focus of those standardized tests as currently employed may very well serve as a contributing factor to performance gaps which exist.

 

Students are very different and each will take very different paths in their lives. Thus, each student will need very different tools for their lives.  At a young age students learn all sorts of different tools that will be useful.  They learn basic math skills, geography, reading and writing, how to paint and play music.  These are most certainly skills that will be useful in their later schooling.  They are building blocks that are necessary to their future learning.   The problem seems to arise in later grades when the focus is much more on Math and English.  In order to see what the students are learning we must take a look at the curriculum that is being taught.  It does not take long to see that curriculum in our schools are driven by standardized tests.  These standardized tests are what we use to measure the students, teachers, schools and school districts.  The focus of school is now on finding ways to raise test scores rather than the practicality of what the students are learning.  In fact, we believe this idea of standardizing curriculum and learning goes against nature; fundamentally, it defies our societal structure. There needs to be more than one solution to assessing schools and its students and this concept of more than one answer is a vital component educators should be instilling in students today. The current policies in place assume that teachers can be led to perform better if they are made much more accountable for test score gains. Standardized testing seems to be the “solve-all” solution and there is evidence to support its prosperity and its failure. Both prosperity and failure are limited to the view of test scores. Students are not being assessed in the many ways they learn limiting the validity in the assessment of the student’s learned knowledge. In addition, the curriculum and teaching styles of educators is changing due to high-stakes testing. Educators are now teaching to the test, which in turn invalidates their reliability and validity. A major issue that we want to take a look at is how the standardized tests in New Jersey change as students advance through school.  In elementary school students take the NJ Ask, where they are tested in seven different content areas.  Later when students prepare for the HSPA, which they take junior year of high school in order to graduate, they are only tested on two content areas.  Narrowing down our focus to two major areas, Math and English, has a great impact on their curriculum. As a result, students are being assessed on how much test content and information they can memorize in regard to passing the test instead of assessing the depth of understanding and reasoning, along with the critical thinking that goes into making the decisions. 

Introduction

How much of what students are learning in school today applies to everyday life skills for future success?

 

Students, especially in urban areas like Newark, are not getting the education needed to become competent and successful members of society. The matter of changing school and curriculum (educational reform) to compensate for the rapidly changing world in which these schools and it student’s exist has been an ongoing battle of both failure and success in particularly urban areas. Most of the students in and around the area of Hawthorne Avenue in Newark come from lower income, working class families that are just barely making ends meet. Many of the parent(s) in these families have low educational backgrounds and this lower education is correlated to the lower income status that they presently possess. President George Bush, in an effort to raise failing schools classified by students who are falling behind, in primarily urban areas, proposed No Child Left Behind; a series of standardized tests and guidelines for meeting an Annual Yearly Percentage (AYP) or the school in concern receives less funding or ultimately is closed down. President Bush did not account for the diversity in which students and their families come from. Diversity in many contexts such as: locale, socio-economic class, race, ethnicity, gender, family structure, disabilities, etc. and most importantly, that all students learn, retain, and recall information differently. This idea of standardizing curriculum and learning goes against nature; fundamentally, it defies our societal structure. There needs to be more than one solution to assessing schools and its students and this concept of more than one answer is a vital component educators should be instilling in students today.

Standardized testing seems to be the “solve-all” solution and there is evidence to support its prosperity and its failure. Both prosperity and failure are limited to the view of test scores. Students are not being assessed in the many ways they learn limiting the validity in the assessment of the student’s learned knowledge. In addition, the curriculum and teaching styles of educators is changing due to high-stakes testing. Educators are now teaching to the test, which in turn invalidates their reliability and validity. As a result, students are being assessed on how much test content and information they can memorize in regard to passing the test instead of assessing the depth of understanding and reasoning, along with the critical thinking that goes into making the decisions (their answers). School shouldn’t be solely about passing tests, they should concentrate, enhance, and order the knowledge that the students have learned and can use sufficiently in the world to contribute to society and use for the next steps in life. With the curriculum emphasized on teaching towards the test, these critical life skills of reasoning, decision making, critical thinking, life long learning, and etc. either aren’t being taught at all or in very limited doses. Standardized tests aren’t providing the students with the skills needed, not only for school but also, after graduation, in the work place, and in life. Many of the students coming from urban areas do not pursue further education and join the work force directly after graduation. The Secretary’s Commission of Necessary Skills released a set of competencies and foundations that are needed of schools for use in the workforce. These skills are the foundation of a competent and successful member of society. Skills such as literacy, mathematical reasoning, collaboration, critical thinking, lifelong learning, and many more will help a student to success in any facet of life. In a world that is undergoing many rapid changes of globalization, it is important for one to understand how to work with others and make intelligent decisions. It also requires more cognitive demand on students who need to be able to think creatively, out side of the box, and understand the choices they make ultimately create a path. Students are not being taught how to think, they are being taught what to think due to standardized tests that only have one correct answer. Teaching our students that there is always more than one solution and how to learn building upon their strengths will help them more in future ventures than filling in the correct bubble in number 2 pencil; a method proven to be forgotten of regurgitated useless information not connected to real life use and experiences.                                        Unfortunately, educators are not preparing students with these necessary skills due to the pressures of teaching to the test. It is these students in the low income, low performing schools that are ultimately being set up for failure and the continuance of this connection of low education leading to low socio-economic status. The concept of standardized testing is not only found within the United States. The techniques of teaching curriculum and providing assessment in countries such as Belgium and Sweden are much different. Students in these countries out perform the United States on Math and Science high-stakes tests and have higher success rates. The curriculum across seas is much more specialized, leaving out forgettable details and focusing on the truly important issues. Also, assessment is much broader than in the United States. Across seas, standardized testing is not the only means of assessment. Other countries use portfolio and performance based testing, (along with others) that can be used in juncture with standardized testing, but gives students the ability to show what they are capable of, how they reason, make decisions, and grow based on their natural talents and interests. School reform is not a new issue; it has been talked about for years and slowly little steps are being taken. There will never be one answer that fits all; education and the world are rapidly ever changing.