MSM, MOE deceptive spin on our school system

I only noticed Prof Linda Darling-Hammond because she was the supervisor of an old school friend when he studied under her at Stanford. I am reminded in this Sunday Times article that she is a big shot in education.

Wow, so she gave us a sterling grade for our exam system? Don't be deceived. It is a spin MSM has put on and a spell it is trying to cast on readers. My friend who studied under her is extremely critical of our MOE system.

A good or virtue can always be exaggerated. If that good is scored high on a league table, the job is so much easier. Readers are set in the right frame and easily anchored to be persuaded, but here are the small leaks opening up to the big gap in our education system under performance.

Before going further. You cannot get all As from the professor, so she spotted and critiqued our PSLE system.

Best to quote from her. Note what's in the red boxes.

They are repeats: the most well-designed examination is not able to measure what a student is capable of.

Translated with the benefit of knowing other school systems we are basically a top student in a school of mostly failures. Depending on how you view it, which MSM and MOE prefer you to see - as top students or some of us realistically see it as best failures. How so? Again check what the prof has to offer.

You tell me how well do our school system stack up in answering the questions which are by no means unique to Prof Darling-Hammond? This explains why employers if given the chance to recruit globally, we no longer come out as good as hoped.

Employers don't hire from school systems but individuals from specific schools. We have been comparing with the wrong class in order to score well. We have to measure our entire system against top private schools and colleges because that is the only meaningful comparison. Very meaningful indeed when the hiring boss examine the stack of resumes on the desk or on his PC display. He doesn't care about school systems but the products of each school (for managing his risk in that good schools are safer bets) and the individual .

And how convenient to have Han Fook Kwang piece across the page from the article above. (click on pic to read)

He reiterated the obvious: graduate salaries have remain stuck for a few years. We have to lower our asking price or there is no deal for our 'top in class' school leavers.

I think we have been deceiving ourselves for too long, patting our own backs for too long. We had chosen to see ourselves as best in class but the test of the pudding is in the eating and it didn't taste as good as we thought we should.

Yes, we keep applying ourselves to make our school system better but we forget to check if we are getting better quickly enough. Looks like we are failing because our policy makers play it too comfortable for themselves, too risk adverse, do not understand our challenges as deeply and simply lack courage. They are not suffering, the scholars they mint have secure jobs. What is the incentive for them to do better unless we find a way to put a nice fire under them.