by William Logan

Created on: September 30, 2009

Competition is so integral to the American experience, so indelibly etched in our collective psyche, that few of us can conceive of a situation where pitting one against the other will not improve the result. It is considered obvious to the point of requiring no proof that those falling short will redouble their efforts to achieve and results improve for everyone. This is the popular pedagogical model in our schools today. The results speak for themselves.

Recent reports of dismal performance by American students on standardized tests (relative to students in other parts of the world) have prompted new scrutiny of the way we teach. The federal government has tried to establish objective standards through required testing, to mixed reviews, on the assumption that they will provoke our natural tendencies to compete. Failing that, the system can force competition by rewarding high scores and punishing low scores. This is an assertion that we were failing because of a lack of competition without seriously examining its effect on education. Recent research suggests that this is a mistake.

Educational professionals and business leaders alike have long commented on the inability of contemporary education to evolve, to keep pace with the changes taking place in every other facet of society. In his book Schools that Learn Peter Senge wrote "secondary education is a more industrial age institution than any business". Similarly, David Kearns, while CEO of Xerox, said in a speech that "(our large schools) are organized like a factory of the late 19th century: top down, command control management, a system designed to stifle creativity and independent judgment". Businesses are finding high school graduates woefully unprepared for the job world. Lack of basic skills, a lack of creative or innovative thought, and an inability to work collaboratively are common complaints. Against this backdrop educators are examining the efficacy of the hyper-competitive classroom.

The current classroom model of a teacher standing in front of thirty to forty students and disseminating data that the students must assimilate assumes that the students will either learn because they find the data fascinating or because their normal competitive instincts will push them to succeed. Typically a few gifted students and a few very competitive students will succeed. The teacher will try to coax the rest of the class along but the task becomes progressively more difficult as the academic year progresses

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