Flunking ETS

Abstract

Many education scholars would be surprised to learn that Harold Wenglinsky of the Educational Testing Service (ETS) had discovered, in his own words, “not only that teachers matter most” for student achievement, “but how they most matter.” While many researchers believe that teacher quality is important, in the research literature its influence usually runs a distant second behind the socioeconomic background of students. Nevertheless, based on his findings, Wenglinsky recommended that teachers “be encouraged to convey higher-order thinking skills, conduct hands-on learning activities, and rely primarily upon tests to monitor student progress.” When this Milken Family Foundation-sponsored study was released last October at a highly visible media event at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., Wenglinsky further recommended that teachers be rewarded for “putting into practice a curriculum oriented toward” these classroom practices, “perhaps through offering advanced certification, such as that of the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards.”