The Changing Culture Of Childhood: A Perfect Storm By Joe L. Frost

In the article The Changing Culture of Childhood: A Perfect Storm by Joe L. Frost, the idea that a “perfect storm” in the educational system is brewing due to standardized tests. By implementing“teach to the test,” it’s affecting the time in a child’s life to play and increasing the poverty rate worldwide.
According to Frost, standardized testing has taken the “individuality, creativity, cooperative learning, community involvement, and the balance of academics and other activities,” out of our education. It has left students feeling overwhelmed and turning towards drugs because they can handle these “high stake tests.” These tests are showing a huge gap between minority and non minority students and then a gap between working class and middle class families. According to the
The usual play outside in the cul de sac has been exchanged for video games and extra curricular activities that will boast their children’s test scores.Due to technology becoming a key involvement in children’s lives today, a higher rate of obesity around the world is apparent. Summer camps, that used to be about adventuring throughout the great outdoors, has now turned into weight loss camps and computer camps. Recess is slowly being shrunk nation wide because more importance is being put on academics. According to Frost, ADHD and obesity have not become more prevalent due to the lack of activity time.
These tests don’t take into account the diversity across cultures. According to this article, there is a positive correlation between poverty and academic achievement between all types of ethnic groups. The difference between middle class and working class families had to do with the opportunities that each type of child was given. While working class children were given the right skills in life, they are still struggling for jobs, while the middle class children are going to college and have