Further, [Jencks] makes a case that blacks are disadvantaged because the technology for constructing tests of cognitive achievement is well developed and thus tests have less error than do the measuring devices for factors such as motivation, persistence, and such. Thus, Jencks argues, when we rely on tests to allocate persons to educational and occupational positions because tests have less error than other measures, we make blacks pay for the greater investment we have made in constructing cognitive tests.
–Samuel R. Lucas, “Hope, Anguish, and the Problem of Our Time: An Essay on Publication of The Black-White Test Score Gap”
I thought people only wrote “THIS!” and underlined it a lot when they agreed with something on the internet, but I just did it in the margins of my Soc of Ed reading. If you can parse through the dense sociological jargon, he’s saying that if we put all our eggs in the testing basket and don’t devote time to understanding social forces that may affect black students ability to achieve in testing environments, then we’re doing a disservice to the exact students we’re trying to help. I dig it. (I also dig his use of the Oxford comma in the title of his article, but that’s another story. This dude is my professor, and I think he’s kind of a rockstar.)
About me
Blog title is verbatim how I was described in a newspaper article. I study education policy, play competitive pinball, and am on a constant quest to find the most delicious nachos. You can call me Legs.
