High school stops publishing honor roll, cites stress on students

[slackmaster]

NEEDHAM, Mass. -- Needham High School has abandoned its long-standing practice of publishing the names of students who make the honor roll in the local newspaper.

Principal Paul Richards said a key reason for stopping the practice is its contribution to students' stress level in "This high expectations-high-achievement culture."

The proposal to stop publishing the honor roll came from a parent. Richards took the issue before the school council, which approved it. Parents were notified of the decision last month. Richards said he received about 60 responses from both parents and students and the feedback has been evenly split for and against.

Richards said one parent with three children attending Needham High told him publishing the honor roll is a constant cause of stress in her family. According to that parent, one of the three students routinely made the honor roll while the other two did not....

:wtf: Is this Republican family values in action, or just plain lameness?

There's a "poll" on the page. Please hit it if you wish.

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/education/10509779/detail.html

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

1. I think it's a great idea.

Working as an education lobbyist, you wouldn't believe the horror stories I've heard about overly stressed out kids, as young as first graders who have panic attacks because they have too much homework and worry about tests. We, as a society, need to take a lot of pressure off our kids.

[Lance_Boyle]

2. I think it's an ass-ridiculous idea.

Since when is rewarding high achievers with public recognition of their achievements "pressuring" anyone? By this "logic" all students should get Cs on every test, so the poor performers aren't made to feel bad... :eyes:

[treestar]

9. There is grade inflation - C means you are doing what you should be doing

but try finding a parent who accepts that.

This is to spare the average kids from their parents, probably, not to take away from anyone's achievement.

[Iris]

14. since the grades have begun to mean nothing.

Students today consider grades negotiable all in the name of making an A. I work in higher ed and am also in grad school. You would not believe the way they challenge instructors constantly over not FINAL grades, but each and every grade they earn, from the smallest assignments to the largest research projects. There are some folks in my grad program who browbeat instructors so much, I've taken screen shots in class and have strongly considered going to the Dean.

[RiverStone]

20. Agreed! Real life = real tests.

Setting students up for success in life means acknowledging that most often, working hard towards a goal equals more recognition. There IS much more to a student than a G.P.A., but in the working world success is measured most often through quality, production, and outcome. Thats what good grades reflect. Dealing with pressure at work (or school) is part of life; part of living independently.

Sheltering kids from the "pressure" of an honor role is totally ridiculous. That Principal need to get his ass out of the building for a few days and wander through corporate America (or any other job for that matter). Think he has been way too sheltered in academia. And I say that as someone with a Masters in Education.

[jarab]

28. Good response.

Just another foolish news item for the RW to harp upon; in this case rightfully so, imo..

...O...

[Lucky Luciano]

5. Eventually, they will come out to the real world and find out

that not everyone can be "special." Better that they have some grounding in reality before it smacks them upside the head if they have no forms of competition before entering the workforce.

[SoCalDem]

10. Jeez..Louise..

Honor Roll publication was just another ho-hum in my day.. Those of us who made it, usually did not even know we were in the paper until someone told us.. No one I knew "stressed" about it.

For MOST students, getting on the honor roll is not so much about "smarts" as it is about study habits.

My "smartest" son (IQ-wise) dropped out :grr: and never cared one iota about school. His "less-smart" brother..(still a 156 IQ) had impeccable study habits and insisted on A's for himself (we never pushed him)..

Why NOT recognize the ones who try harder? The ones who do not, are probably not all that "stressed" anyway:)

[slackmaster]

19. I think you're talking about a different issue, Stampede

I worked for an educational software company for eight years.

IMO the states have done a ham-handed job of adopting standardized learning objectives. Objectives aren't inherently bad, but each state has at least one set of standards that were developed more or less independently from other state standards. The inconsistency isn't good, but the real problem IMO is the extent to which the salaries and promotions of teachers AND administrators (not grades) has been tied to students' performance measures on tests.

Everywhere in the country teachers are struggling to teach to the tests, which are far from perfect indicators of how well students are really learning. The pressure to perform well on objective tests does not translate directly into incentive to actually teach and learn.

If teachers and school are really doing their jobs well in spite of the artificial pressure created by standardized objectives, then grades really should reflect how well students have either achieved or improved themselves. The poor integration of objective tests into the system need not invalidate the meaning of grades.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

24. I don't disagree at all with what you're saying

Those tests are killing our students. However, there's one key component missing here... With all of the emphasis on accountability and these standardized test scores, even though the pressure is intended to be placed on schools, ultimately, the buck is passed to the students. It's unavoidable - they're the ones who take the tests, not the schools themselves. And the catch 22 is that unless you make those tests required for kids to graduate, they won't take them seriously at all, which means they won't score as highly as they should. But making them mandatory places a ton of pressure on them too. I think the additional pressure of making the honor roll becomes unnecessary, and believe me, there is a lot of pressure to do so.

For a personal example, I remember being in a household where I regularly made the honor roll, but my older brother struggled to pass his courses. To make a long story short, between my academic and athletic achievements, my brother grew to resent me to the point where he no longer talks to any of my family. And it's not like my parents put me on a pedastal while ignoring him either. They went so far out of their way to make sure he wasn't left out that, quite frankly, I was pretty well ignored. I've always understood that was necessary.

Furthermore, the whole "honor roll" thing is entirely arbitrary anyway. It isn't on your college transcript. You don't get anything out of it. The real reward is the grades you earned to get on the honor roll in the first place. The only thing the honor roll is good for is bragging rights for parents, and that is becoming an increasingly bad thing. Parents feeling guilty about working too much are already placing too much emphasis on their child's performance for proof of their own worth as parents.

Bottom line, I really believe the honor roll does a lot more harm than good. It's completely arbitrary and it's just one more hurdle we expect kids to leap through when they're already tired from the 100 new ones we've recently put in their way.

[rinsd]

3. Jesus we are raising a nation of sheltered children (nt)

[Iris]

15. No, we are raising a nation of young people who can't see the forest for the trees.

See my post above. They don't care so much about learning and earning A's - it's all negotiable to them.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

4. We have a double standard in American education

It's "elitist" to have an honor roll, but it's not "elitist" to give out letters and trophies for athletes, despite the fact that few students in any given school can be athletic stars.

I think today's parents are stark raving out of their minds in many respects. They put pressure on kids to get good grades but don't want them to be bookworms or nerds.

If I were a parent, I would emphasize not grades but whether my child was actually interested in learning. I'd rather have a child who earned straight B's and no more because s/he was spending too much time reading about ancient history or practicing a musical instrument or working on a craft than a child who earned straight A's but spent all his/her spare time watching the worst of network TV.

[subterranean]

6. I don't see how this will reduce stress.

After all, they're not doing away with the honor roll itself. Will students feel less pressure to make the honor roll or get good grades just because their names don't appear in the paper? Will their parents' expectations change?

[Homer Wells]

7. Interesting Poll

13% for this idea
85% against it

There is some common sense out there, anyway.

Challenge is what makes students GROW.

Making children feel good is not the schools job. Educating them is!!

They will have boo coos of stress in the real world after they enter the workforce; introducing them to it in school, especially in a positive way, is definitely needed.

[denverbill]

8. Let's let the least athletic geek start at QB too.

I can't wait until Mommy starts calling their employers to insist they be given raises so their feelings aren't hurt.

[WernhamHogg]

11. I don't think this is a good idea

I NEVER made the honor roll before high school and after 9th grade I was determined to make it at least once. We didn't get our names published in the local paper, but making the honor roll did come with a few small perks (for example, we got an "honor roll card" which got us discounts at a few local stores for snacks or ice skating or movie tickets or whatever). It gave me something to aim for and I ended up making the honor roll every quarter for my final 2 and a half years of high school.

I don't see how recognizing hard work and/or success is a bad thing. :shrug:

[Ezlivin]

12. They'd better stop publishing who wins the school football games as well

That's got to be really discouraging to a) those who didn't make the team, and b) those who made the team only to lose.

It's best to keep all accomplishments out of the paper; who knows how many kids could have their fragile self-esteem damaged?

[Speck Tater]

13. The last thing we want is to recognize or reward excellence.

Mediocrity and conformity should always be emphasized lest we bruise the tender egos of those for who prefer mediocrity. This should also help solve that pesky problem of those intellectual elitists who would actually consider going into the sciences. How can we spoon religious anti-science clap trap tyo people who allowed to think for themselves.

Enough is enough! Excellence, like all those other divisive non-PC words, must be banned from our dictionaries. Remember, everyone is special, and everyone is qualified to be president of the United States.

[AbbyR]

16. If they want to get rid of stress

Get rid of the test test test mentality. Not only will you help the students with their stress, you'll let the teachers get back to really teaching the kids.

[Oeditpus Rex]

17. What about schools in areas

where the newspapers don't publish honor rolls? Do students there perform less well because they don't have this "challenge"?

What about students in schools that don't send their honor rolls to newspapers?

And, for the record, the school does not publish the honor roll in the newspaper. The newspaper publishes it.

[LuckyLib]

18. Right on. And how about this: earning your place on the honor roll

is reward in and of itself, as it will pay off in the future. No need to advertise it (or put in on your bumper). Be pleased. And understand that the number of kids on the "honor roll" in most schools is HUGE due to inflated grading and inflated AP courses. It's not all that.

[novalib]

21. OUTSTANDING IDEA!!!!!

It's about time!!!!

All those little over-achievers who are socially-maladjusted!

And their PARENTS!!!!

Everytime I see a bumper sticker that says "My kid is an Honor Roll Student at XYZ High School", I feel like SCREAMING "What About the Kids Who Have DIFFICULTY learning???"!!!!!!

[Lance_Boyle]

22. Someone should make a bumper sticker that says

"my kid doesn't test well." :shrug:

[seabeyond]

29. the stickers i see that counter that. my child can kick your honor students ass

i guess all kids have somewhere they excel.

the child that makes grades take so much shit from the other students. i say, somewhere, allow them to be proud of what they do. the hard work

my oldest is brilliant,.... test top on national tests. college reading level in 6th grade. and he is in none of the gifted programs. bothers him soooooo much. i tell him, you dont want to do the extra work, or put in the extra time.... your choice that you make. ergo, you dont get the reward. it is not reward for potential... it is reward for work done. like the athlete gets the reward for the time dedicated to practice. or the artist or musician get reward for dedicated time practicing.

[baby_mouse]

23. Excellent.

NO sarcasm.

[ProfessorGAC]

25. A Whole New Generation of Limbaugh-ites

Don't worry about grades. Don't compete for who is learning better and more. Just let's make it clear it's uncool to be smart and cool to be stupid.

Yeah, that's healthy for the long term viability of democracy.
The Professor

[AngryOldDem]

26. Plain lameness

There is nothing wrong with recognizing academic excellence. If I were the parent of the kids, I'd tell the other two to work harder if it bothered them so much that their sibling constantly made the roll. Otherwise, they should get over it.

I'm getting tired of the push for mediocrity in schools, designed as efforts to protect kids' "fragile self-esteem." Sometimes kids need to be pushed to reach their potential; sometimes they need to learn hard truths. I was talking with a teacher last week who says that a counselor in her school begins every student conference with the observation, "You're absolutely brilliant." Then, in some cases, comes the obligatory "but..." She was counseling a D student who is in danger of being dismissed from this school, and all the kid heard was that he was brilliant. Is she really doing him a favor? I think not. By all means, point out the good along with the bad, praise as well as criticize, but paint a realistic picture.

And what I said about mediocrity also goes for the issue of grade inflation. At a suburban high school here, it's not uncommon to have five or six (or sometimes more) valedictorians every year. That is also ridiculous.

A lot of kids are going to get very rude awakenings once they get out into the real world.

[seabeyond]

27. i received a huge note child MUST make a 90% on timed multiplication

table test. 4 minutes for 50 problems. he is in third grade and just started learning multiplication. this child has never done well on timed tests, freezes. and the note was specifically chewing parents out saying it is imperative the child makes a 90%. i would be happy, thrilled, on cloud nine with 80's for this particular child. my oldest, i can easily demand and expect 100's. two different children.

that is pressure. lol lol

and ... we deal with it. talk about it. do the best we can. learn from it and still teach him to love himself regardless. detach from the demand, do the best he can. we are doing cards three times a day. morning, afternoon and night. best he can do and we are leaving it there

now the higher, the upside.... this note allows me to give him cards three times a day without whining because teacher took the pressure, and not on my shoulder. and.... he is getting more and more comfortable with the times table. this is important. teacher is right.

i still doubt he will ever get over 90% even if they are all memorized and it flows easily.

our school has increased expectation and demand and pressure. i personally like it for my children. higher expectation has shown higher performance in both. it is in the home i bring the comfort and peace and self confidence and unconditional love, including with self.

[antigop]

30. Personal experience -- I think this can be good for some

My daughter attended a private school that posted honor roll each quarter and made a huge deal about it. My daughter is one of those super-high-achievers who puts LOTS of pressure on herself. She was a basket case, constantly stressing out over grades. (She has an extremely high IQ, btw.)

I moved her to a public school where the honor roll is lots more low-key.

She doesn't stress as much about school since the move. For her, I think it has made a huge difference in her mental health.