In this podcast, we are joined by Dr. Yong Zhao, the Foundation Distinguished Professor in the School of Education. Dr. Zhao and I talk about building a movement that ends standardized testing in the United States and how to build classrooms that invoke a student's innate desire to learn. Perhaps the grueling, “rigorous” standardized testing system is actually harming students, not helping? Most teachers seem to understand this, and a recent analysis by Harvard University seems to confirm it.

Dr. Zhao has written and spoken extensively on how testing and test scores harm students. And he’s done the research and work to back up everything he states. It’s up to teachers - those in the field - to actually make change in this endeavor. There’s a lot we’re up against! It makes all the difference.

GUESTS

Dr. Yong Zhao, the Foundation Distinguished Professor in the School of Education at the University of Kansas. Zhao was the Presidential Chair and Director of the Institute for Global and Online Education at University of Oregon, and a University Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University. Further, he's served as the founding director of the Confucius Institute and US-China Center for Research on Educational Excellence.

RESOURCES

• What Works May Hurt by Zhao
• Reach for Greatness by Zhao
• Counting What Counts by Zhao
• The Courage to Be Creative: An Interview with Dr. Yong Zhao
• HRP’s Primer for Human-Centric (Progressive) Education

FURTHER LISTENING

• FreshEd #79: What Works (May) Hurt w/ Dr. Yong Zhao
• ReImagine Schools: Global Competence with Dr. Yong Zhao