Critique Wk 4 - One Size Does Not Fit All

According to the Pew Research Center U.S. students are slowly improving in math and science but still lag behind other developed and developing countries. Some trace the unraveling of best in class status to residue from blanket one size fits all policies like "No Child Left Behind."

This week I am critiquing Mary Bouley's story about the impact of No Child Left Behind on Lawrence Intermediate School in Southwest side of Tucson, AZ. I found this story on Creative Narrations: Multimedia for community development.

I used the following assessment/evaluation traits:

• Story

• Originality, Voice, and Creativity

• Flow, Organization, and Pacing

Ms. Bouley uses a familiar story shape that starts with good fortune. The school employed a pedagogy that inspired creativity, engagement, and cultural identification and relevance. Her school taught 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders. Half of the children were from the reservation that sat next to the school, and the other half were Hispanic. Over 90% were low income. There were Tribal Elders who worked with the children for many years teaching language and culture. There were enrichment programs; everything from gardens, to outdoor habitats and a weather station at the school.

Then the story turns dark. Starting with rumors of accountability and standards for teachers, which, on the surface, did not sound like a bad thing. Ms. Bouley goes on to describe the fallout from the changes. Testing, measurement and punishment, demoralization of teachers, and one size fits all policies proved to be a disaster.

There was ultimately a State restructuring of the school. While we don't know what the fate of the school is present day. Ms. Bouley leaves us with a strong recommendation. Honor the unique needs and culture of the students. Rehire the Elders who were the first to go because they were "not qualified."

This story structure worked. The video is only 2:45. In that short amount of time the storyteller covered ideal world, problem, reality, and shared a solution.

Originality, voice, and creativity were all present in this story. The storyteller worked in the school, building community partnerships. This brought a sense of credibility to the story. Her voice was one of experience and passion. Ms. Bouley used still shots, music, and her strong voice in an original, authentic manner. There was opportunity to incorporate more visuals as some shots were repeated. The newspaper clippings were illegible except for the headline; which was the main point anyway. All in all the production was simple, yet powerful.

The flow, organization and pacing was fast and to the point. You could tell the storyteller probably storyboarded her visuals, and carefully scripted her lines, to tell the story concisely with visual accuracy.