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Parents Pack Seats for 'Race to Nowhere'

Is current education system churning out stressed-out 'robo-students'? What is the cause?

There wasn't an empty seat in the house as parents, students and educators packed the huge auditorium at Chantilly High School to screen the controversial film "Race to Nowhere" early last month.  The production is bringing nationwide attention to the increased pressures American students face.  

"The Race to Nowhere" will be shown at Mount Vernon High School on Thursday, March 10.

The documentary's title is an allusion to the intense competition to gain admittance to top U.S. colleges, an effort that has some students "resume-building" as early as kindergarten. Denise Pope, Stanford University lecturer, author and education advocate, said "their whole future is on the line.  It's no longer about learning."


The film asserts that the stress on early achievement puts students at increased risk for depression, eating disorders, stimulant abuse and even suicide.  Many students testified that the expectation to maintain a perfect grade point average, in addition to playing sports and participating in extracurriculars, has driven them to employ desperate measures, including rampant cheating.  

The documentary also raises the question: "What is excellence and how is it measured?"  Pointing to the Bush Administration's 2002 "No Child Left Behind" initiative, educators repeatedly said the hyper-focus on standardized test scores is forcing them to "teach to the test," a requirement that prevents them from focusing on critical-thinking skills.  Teachers profiled said immense pressure from local school districts, and state and federal agencies has left them "drowning in content," while also presenting the ultimatum: "Do it or you don't have a job."  

The film is part of a new grassroots campaign that calls for partnerships among families and educators to reduce stress among American students and  consider what is "really" best for preparing the nation's youth for their future.  

Still, critics of the film say some of the solutions proposed are too radical.  These include a dramatic reduction in homework assignments across all school age groups, a shift away from standardized test scores and Advanced Placement courses, and later start times.    

One thing everyone can agree upon?  The film has local residents' rapt attention.  Attendees were treated to complimentary popcorn and bottled water at Thursday's screening;  the screening was a joint effort among Little Rocky Run and Franklin Middle School PTAs and the Chantilly High School PTSA.  The film was followed by a panel discussion where students, parents and administrators considered possible solutions at a local level.

Chantilly PTSA President Leonard Litton said: "We really have to work together to create the right environment...we have to be careful."  While Litton credited Chantilly Principal Jim Kacur with working hard to maintain a "learning community," as the parent of one college student and one son in high school, he's concerned that today's students "are graduating with a year of college done," and a school calendar that continues so long after Advanced Placement testing is complete.  Litton added, "the point of the film is to make you think." He felt it accomplished that goal.

Clifton residents Laura Kehoe and Matt Brooks echoed these concerns.  The couple have six college degrees between them and two children in Advanced Academic Placement Centers.  Both have been extremely active classroom volunteers, coaches, even scout leaders for many years.  

Asked what they are doing to prevent "burn-out" in their students, both of whom play instruments and participate in sports, Kehoe said, "It's easy to get caught up.  We're choosing not to.  We're dialing it down."

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The film referenced the prestigious University of California at Berkeley's median grade point average of 4.35, but half of the freshmen attending require remediation upon entry.  Kehoe said she agrees with the film's premise that students are not retaining the vast amount of information forced on them during high school.  

"When did it get like this? We've ruined it.  This obsession with education is counterproductive.  Kids are peaking too early."   She hinted that parents, not administrators, may be primarily to blame.  

Referring to infamously intense countywide competition for slots at Thomas Jefferson, generally considered the best public high school in the United States, Kehoe said: "Are the kids choosing to go, or are parents making them? I haven't heard of one TJ student who went to Harvard." 

Brooks is a Ph.D. chemist with plenty of experience in teaching.  He worries about science and math preparation in particular, saying the rapid instructional pace doesn't provide for mastery of basic skills.  "Skills are being taught too young.  Kids are taking Multi-Variance Calculus in 12th grade, but they can't remember how to do algebra when they get to college.  If there's no foundation for the advanced classes, you can't build the house."

Still, Brooks conceded, "I'm a fan of tests," saying "they provide the necessary pressure to learn."  He also agreed that cheating has become more prevalent. "Everyone cheats, but not because they don't want to study but because their parents will be disappointed in them if they don't get an 'A.'  They all study, just no human can study enough these days."

Brooks admits that he and Kehoe are worried about the social and emotional impact of increased academic demands on today's student population.  "You can't live without some form of escape.  Children will turn to drugs or alcohol or Facebook addiction to find some escape from the pressure.  And when that happens, parents shouldn't be looking to their kid's friends as the cause, they should be looking at their kid's teachers, or better yet just looking in the mirror."

Additional screenings of "The Race to Nowhere" will be held at Mount Vernon High School in Mount Vernon on Thursday, March 10 and other locations in the Northern Virginia area.  Tickets may be purchased online for $10, plus a $1.50 handling fee.  More information on the film and its showings is available at www.racetonowhere.com

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