By Katherine Yaremko

It is evident that America is an achievement-based society, particularly within the education system. Its emphasis on standardized testing, a major part of the Bush administration’s No Child Left Behind policy, played a huge role in forming the agendas of most high schools. Part of the reason for this obsessive focus on test scores stems from the fact that, as a society, we seek results and, in turn, recognition for those results. The disadvantage of the system is that it places emphasis on a byproduct of academic achievement and success instead of applauding the pursuit of academics itself. The message that achievement is more valuable than intellectualism pervades the minds of those who have been initiated into this thought system.

Many American politicians and policymakers are pursued by a rising fear that America’s standing in the world will fall as students in Eastern nations outperform Americans, particularly in math and science. Perhaps part of the disappointing results and part of the reason behind this occurrence is that the wrong message about why one should succeed is conveyed to students.

Many high school students do not see the purpose behind merely achieving for achievement’s sake. They do not understand why they should be diligent on a project or report, not seeing the significance in earning an A as opposed to a C or D.

Is America’s educational standing in the world indicative of a failure or flaw in our view of education as a points or achievement system in which doing well is rewarded with high grades, acceptance into prestigious organizations, and praise in the form of awards and titles?

The idea of the achievement process made me analyze my own reasons for performance. Was I doing well in my classes because I genuinely believed in doing so or was it merely in hopes of seeing the letter “A” next to my class’s name?

In particular, I was reminded of President Obama’s response during the 2008 campaign season, that education should concern itself with the thirst for knowledge. Indeed, it is an idealistic view, which I believe is achievable. It is my hope that the Obama administration will continue to uphold this viewpoint, and discover a tangible way of disseminating it through the education system.

Perhaps the recognition that a student’s worth and potential lies in more than his or her ability to score a good test grade is being noticed in the world of academia. Many Ivy League universities are no longer requiring the submission of SAT scores with a student’s application. While the SATs were designed to predict a student’s potential ability to succeed in college, one cannot help noting the number of students who performed well in high school, but did not achieve a high SAT score. (I include myself in this group.)

Performing well for performance’s sake can leave one feeling initially fulfilled, and as a society obsessed with immediate results and instant gratification, one can feel content, at least for a while, following this system. We have given enormous significance to the idea that titles and award collections denote a large part of an individual’s worth.

In our complex, modern society we are measured by where we stand on the totem pole of success: the prestige of the school we attend, the grades we earn, the diploma we receive, the degree of our involvement in our community, and the position we hold in our career.

In essence, our value is intensely concerned with what we do and what we accomplish. But when that ideology drives the majority of our desire to achieve, as opposed to a deep passion or concern for whatever we are striving toward, it is easy to forget the core reason for our desire to achieve in the first place: our love and commitment to our specific realm of passion, whether it be academics, politics, or the environment.

Katherine Yaremko is a sophomore political science student. You may e-mail her at [email protected].