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Corruption in the Classroom: Why Exhaustive Testing Will Be the Downfall of American Education

           

Test Scores and Scandal

            Judging by recent events, standardized testing in American schools proves disastrous to our students. In March, The New York Times broke the story of the Atlanta, Georgia school district whose once soaring test scores landed them in the middle of a massive cheating scandal. Standardized tests given to evaluate student performance and educator success had their scores altered by a select group of teachers know as “The Chosen.” The altered scores earned the schools thousands of dollars in funding, and nationwide recognition for their stellar performance. The recognition they’re receiving shows this is just another casualty in the war on education.

            When it comes to student achievement, performance now falls on teachers. Funding is only promised to top performers, and when teachers do not meet these standards, schools become “at risk.” This methodology puts the focus on memorization and testing, rather than learning, and it’s proving to be a disaster in the classroom.

The Finns Can Do It- So Why Can’t We?

            According to a 2011 Smithsonian, Finnish schools only require students to take one exam at the end of their senior year. Their educators are all university graduates, and education is publically funded. The school system provides health care, food, and transportation for its students. The goal is to provide an equal opportunity for all students anywhere in the country, which they accomplish with a “whatever it takes” attitude. Struggling students receive private tutoring if necessary. Students are not ranked amongst their peers, eliminating the academic competition so familiar to American education.

            Finland was a struggling country that recognized its need for an overhaul in education. Without it, the country would have fallen behind other nations. Instead, Finland is ranked in the top spot, with a small margin between their highest and lowest level learners. The country committed to providing students with anything they needed in order to learn—so why can’t America do the same?

Teachers and Students Have Had Enough- And They’re Not Keeping Quiet About It Anymore

This April, Chicago high school students boycotted standardized tests. Students from over 25 public schools participated, with the message that they are “over-tested, under-resourced, and fed up.” And these students are right: from early elementary school all the way through applying for college. Keeping students in school should be a priority for all school districts, but endless testing is just another way to drive them out.

It would seem that the outcry from students and teachers alike would be enough change the system, but breaking the cycle proves difficult. Not complying to give the exam puts teachers’ jobs at risk.

The bottom line is standardized tests aren’t working the way they were intended, instead driving educators to cheat, and students to become disheartened with learning.

feature story final draft

Fall Out Boy is Back in Session: The Second-Coming of Chicago's Emo-Rock Gods

by Chelsea McGrath

Febraury 4^th, 2013 marked Fall Out Boy’s official return. The Chicago-based emo-rock band achieved mainstream success in the mid-2000s, but by 2009, their celebrity status caused a schism among members, resulting in an almost four year long hiatus. The members went their separate ways, making music and exploring other genres, but no member achieved success close to Fall Out Boy.

At their prime, Fall Out Boy (vocalist/composer Patrick Stump, guitarist Joe Trohman, bassist/lyricist Pete Wentz and drummer Andy Hurley) gave kids growing up in the new millennium a voice, just one of the many bands that brought the emo genre into the public eye, and influencing punk pop acts Panic! At the Disco and All Time Low. But for 2013, the band returns with a more serious edge. While they still retain a predominantly young fanbase, their initial audience has entered the world of adulthood. At the time they went on hiatus, Fall Out Boy was so huge they were doing massive arena tours, playing to large audiences on a less personal level. For their current tour, they return to the smaller venues of their early career, giving fans a chance to have the kind of show experience they may have missed.

Nostalgia and previous acclaim plays a huge role in the ability for this band to tour again. In 2003, Fall Out Boy released their debut album Take This To Your Grave. Ten years later, a secret comeback was all the band needed to get back on top. The new album has yet to be released, but tickets for most of the shows sold out within minutes. Fall Out Boy fans may have resigned to no reunion, but their loyalty never wavered.

A dedicated fanbase built up over the years has given Fall Out Boy longevity, but the band wants no mistaking the direction of their new music; they have no intention of sustaining their fame with old material. In the video for the new album’s first single, “My Songs Know What You Did In the Dark (Light ‘Em Up),” copies of Take This To Your Grave burn up in flames, clearly marking this comeback as a new era for the band. In an interview with Fuse, bassist Pete Wentz said of the video, “The idea is burn it up and start again.” Not only has their sound evolved, but the band members themselves have also gone through various life changes.

In 2011, Wentz divorced wife Ashlee Simpson, with whom he has a son, Bronx Mowgli Wentz, born in 2008. Since the split he also created the electro-pop group Black Cards, which received mixed reviews. Trohman and Hurley formed supergroup The Damned Things, with members of heavy metal bands Every Time I Die and Anthrax. Stump reinvented his image and explored a more R&B sound on his 2011 solo record, Soul Punk. Stump’s new look and sound received harsh criticism from fans, resulting in a now infamous (and deleted) blogpost from Stump, in which he all but announced he would be stepping out of the spotlight and potentially quit releasing music all together.

Despite the band’s regular denial that the break up was permanent, fans doubted a reunion. With clever word play in their lyrics and song titles, reading between the lines has become second nature for the average Fall Out Boy fan. This resulted in a skeptic fanbase when a fan discovered Fall Out Boy was scheduled as the musical guest for an upcoming episode of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Their last music video before the hiatus for “What A Catch, Donnie” (off of 2008’s Folie a Deux) features Stump, playing the piano alone on a tugboat in the middle of the ocean, singing “I’ve got troubled thoughts and the self-esteem to match; what a catch.” Toward the end of the video, Stump reels in a kick drum and sign of the letters “FOB” in the band’s old logo. He sees in the distance a sinking ship, and sailing closer discovers his band mates and friends stranded in dinghies. As he pulls everyone onto his boat, friends and label mates of the band make cameos on the track, singing excerpts of renowned Fall Out Boy hits. Everyone on the boat celebrates one last hurrah- the final single from the album, and at the time, a final farewell from Fall Out Boy possibly forever.

It’s clear that the boys are back, and in their opinion, more solid than ever- but the question becomes does Fall Out Boy really have what it takes to “save rock and roll”? Will the new record propel them away from the punk rock image of their roots? “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light ‘Em Up)” has already received widespread radio play, debuting at #26 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The emo scene doesn’t appear to be making a mainstream come back any time soon, but dedicated listeners allow these bands to continue making new music. New Found Glory, another popular pop punk band of the early 2000s, will embark on an anniversary tour for their debut record, Sticks and Stones, released in 2003, performing the album in its entirety. Andrew McMahon of Something Corporate and later Jack’s Mannequin, has decided to release music as a solo artist after being in bands since 1998. The Used, Motion City Soundtrack, and Bowling for Soup are set to co-headline the 2013 Vans Warped Tour, a mobile-music festival that travels the world playing to thousands of people per venue.

What the future holds for these rock stars is unknown, but for now, Fall Out Boy is on a mission, and judging by ticket sales, there are plenty of people who want to come along for the ride. Save Rock and Roll will be released on April 12^th in the United States (April 15^th & 16^th worldwide), and features guest vocals by Elton John and Courtney Love. The band will return to the massive stages of their prime with a month-long arena tour starting September 5^th in Uncasville, CT.