Narrow Minds Rethinking Education

The latest buzzword is, apparently, "narrowing the curriculum." I realize it's not one word but three. Bear with me for the sake of argument. The latest experts are attempting to do the same thing to education: break it down to an absolute essential at the expense of curriculum. In this case, "narrowing the curriculum" means that reading and math are the focus of a curriculum and the rest, yes, even science, are left to fight over the remaining time. This is a direct result of the testing from No Child Left Behind. Schools nationwide have begun to discover that reading and math are the critical points. These subjects are critical because it is these which are being tested by the federal government in order to decide which schools are failing and not deserving of federal money. Schools have begun to reduce time for every other subject in order to focus on these two items. "If you can't make a layup, you don't shoot free throws, you shoot layups" is an analogy used to justify this procedure. The Center on Education Policy reports that 71% of the 15,000 school districts nationwide report adding time for reading and math instruction while taking time away from science, social studies and art. At Martin Luther King Jr. High in Sacramento, California, the lowest performing students spend five periods a day on reading, math and physical education with one period left to the other subjects! It would be like learning to play the piano but only being allowed to practice "Chopsticks" all day, every day. Of course, it's not about what kids like or want...it's about federal money which might be withheld if schools don't meet the testing criteria.
The state of Florida has also embarked on some new age thinking. They are allowing students to select majors in high school and focus on those areas. It is designed to keep kids in school by not burdening them with too much of what they don't like and giving them a lot of what they do like. Imagine the rush to sign up for those analytical writing courses! Ostensibly, this allows them to meld into a career with less difficulty, but I'm not sure a 14-yr. old is capable of that kind of decision. Maybe.
There must be a full moon out. Wacky ideas abound.