The greatest obstacle to those who hope to reform American education is complacency.
Diane RavitchRead
Sometimes the most brilliant and intelligent minds do not shine in standardized tests because they do not have standardized minds.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Standardized tests may not accurately reflect the intelligence and brilliance of unconventional thinkers.
This quote by Diane Ravitch highlights the limitations of standardized testing as a measure of intelligence. It suggests that conventional assessments fail to recognize the diverse ways in which creativity and brilliance can manifest, as some of the most intelligent individuals may think outside the norms that these tests represent.
Themes
IntelligenceStandardized TestsCreativityBrillianceEducation
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture about the limitations of educational assessments, this quote can be used to emphasize the value of diverse thinking.
More from Diane Ravitch
All quotes →Teachers' working conditions are students' learning conditions
Diane RavitchRead
What should we think of someone who never admits error, never entertains doubt but adheres unflinchingly to the same ideas all his life, regardless of new evidence? Doubt and skepticism are signs of rationality. When we are too certain of our opinions, we run the risk of ignoring any evidence that conflicts with our views. It is doubt that shows we are still thinking, still willing to reexamine hardened beliefs when confronted with new facts and new evidence.
Diane RavitchRead
Can teachers successfully educate children to think for themselves if teachers are not treated as professionals who think for themselves?
Diane RavitchRead
Unless the schools provide our children with a vision of human possibility that enlightens and empowers them with knowledge and taste, they will simply play their role in someone else's marketing schemes. Unless they understand deeply the sources of our democracy, they will take it for granted and fail to exercise their rights and responsibilities.
Diane RavitchRead
Without knowledge and understanding, one tends to become a passive spectator rather than an active participant in the great decisions of our time.
Diane RavitchRead
Similar quotes
I myself owe everything to French books. They developed in my soul the sentiments of humanity which had been stifled by eight years of fanatical and servile education.
Cesare BeccariaRead
Read absolutely everything you get your hands on because you'll never know where you'll get an idea from.
Malcolm XRead
Language pedants hew to an oral tradition of shibboleths that have no basis in logic or style, that have been defied by great writers for centuries, and that have been disavowed by every thoughtful usage manual.
Steven PinkerRead
Our teachers deserve better feedback.
Bill GatesRead
Many of us grow up thinking of mistakes as bad, viewing errors as evidence of fundamental incapacity. This negative thinking pattern can create a self-fulfilling prophecy, which undermines the learning process. To maximize our learning it is essential to ask: "How can we get the most from every mistake we make?"
Tony BuzanRead
I am aware of the technical distinction between ‘less’ and ‘fewer’, and between ‘uninterested’ and ‘disinterested’ and ‘infer’ and ‘imply’, but none of these are of importance to me. ‘None of these are of importance,’ I wrote there, you’ll notice – the old pedantic me would have insisted on “none of them is of importance”. Well I’m glad to say I’ve outgrown that silly approach to language
Stephen FryRead