Chapter 12: The Other 3 Rs: Implications for the Design of Learning Environments, Research, and Policy

The emphasis of the present volume on reasoning, resilience, and responsibility as the “Other” three Rs is both a timely and welcome contribution to discussions about the goals and outcomes of schooling. This is especially so in the context of the No Child Left Behind legislation (NCLB, 2001) and its use of once-a-year testing in reading, mathematics, and science for school accountability. NCLB is creating a great deal of pressure on practitioners to focus on what is tested to the exclusion of other aspects of children’s education. In fact, research indicates that an overemphasis on high-stakes accountability assessments often leads to a narrowing of the curriculum to focus only on what the tests measure (Haney, 2000; Kohn, 2000; McNeill, 2000; Valencia & Bernal, 2000). Producing high achievement and sufficient average yearly gains to meet the criteria set forth by NCLB could well leave little room in formal schooling for reasoning, resilience, and responsibility. Yet, the contributions to this volume give strong voice to the need for children to emerge from schooling as knowledgeable, resilient, and responsible individuals.