Research proposal

Doctorow looks into the concept of what is knowledge and how many schools stifle thought. He brings up the idea that government is not only requiring standardized testing but also standardized students. Programs like No Child Left Behind encourage thinking to the test and not critical thinking. Schools are becoming so regulated that if you cannot learn from the standardized material you will get lost and not learn at all. There is a theory among education experts that our public school system is killing creativity and therefore inhibiting children’s ability to learn to their fullest potential. Doctorow makes many references to both teaching only one train of thought and the lack of free thinking in schools.