For years, educators have recognized that educational practice can be likened to a pendulum that responds to social and political forces by swinging back and forth, between an emphasis on the needs and interests of children and an emphasis on academic content and accountability. Two recent Advertiser articles written by Beverly Creamer brought this pendulum to mind.

One of these articles describes educators' concerns that "grueling, high-stakes testing required under No Child Left Behind" are greatly reducing the time that teachers can devote to instruction. It describes a situation in which there is barely time to teach required academic content, let alone the things we used to believe were part of a well-rounded education — art, music, movement, literature, social skills and physical education. I recently heard about a junior kindergarten class that has only 10 minutes for recess because children need to be doing academics, even though we know that movement is essential for young children and that there is an epidemic of childhood obesity.

I know a kindergarten teacher who is required to give paper-and-pencil tests to her low-income children who don't know how to read and who are stressed to tears by the experience. Another elementary school teacher who works on the Leeward Coast reports that he spends at least two full days every week testing children.

This demand for more academics and testing grows out of the movement for school accountability that began in l983 with the publication of Nation at Risk, which reported that test scores were falling, academic expectations were too low and students in the United States were not competing favorably with those in other countries.

This report recommended that schools adopt higher and measurable standards for academic performance. Since that time, accountability for school performance has become national priority, culminating in the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, which mandates annual, measurable objectives that must be met by every district and school.

NCLB has led to the situation described in Creamer's article. The sole purpose for education at this time appears to be academic achievement, as demonstrated by scores on standardized tests. Incessant testing is forcing teachers to focus on teaching isolated facts rather than on engaging children in meaningful learning experiences or helping them to develop thinking skills.

Children feel like failures when they, or their school, can't meet these narrow expectations. Teachers are frustrated by not being able to adapt the curriculum to the needs of their children. The only people who seem to be benefiting from this situation are the test-makers, curriculum developers and the people who come in from outside the state to "fix" failing schools.

The needs of children appear to be completely disregarded. Has anyone thought about the psychological effect of giving special rewards only to those children who can pass the tests (generally those who receive help at home)? Why aren't we addressing the needs of the children who aren't successful instead of humiliating them?

Another recent article represents a slight swing of the pendulum and offers a glimmer of hope. This front-page article describes "a new strategy catering to all abilities" being employed at Kamaile Elementary School. In this school, which serves low-income and homeless children, third-graders are joyfully exploring the world of Wilbur the pig and his friend Charlotte the spider, characters in the classic children's book "Charlotte's Web."

Activities that engage children — songs, games, poems and puppets — are offered in this pilot project. The curriculum is interesting, meaningful and accessible to children of all abilities. The children are responding with enthusiasm for school and for learning. This program is a return to an approach that was called developmentally appropriate practice in the l980s and progressive education before that. It allows for true involvement in learning and allows for multiple ways of knowing. This kind of learning can be found in some of Hawai'i's finest private schools.

Classrooms like that reported at Kamaile are becoming increasingly rare. In most of our schools, there is no room for rich and nourishing learning experiences, or for accommodating diverse abilities and learning styles. While the great majority of educators and policymakers agree on the need for standards and assessment, many now believe that the pendulum has swung too far toward content and accountability.

I recently ran across a quote from Albert Einstein that says "Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." We need to remind ourselves that all areas of children's development, including their feelings about school and learning, count. We need to keep in mind that teachers' joy in teaching and their creativity count.

Teachers, parents and policy makers need to stand up and say that it's time for the pendulum to swing back in the direction of what is best for our children.

Stephanie Feeney is professor emerita of education at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa. She wrote this commentary for The Advertiser.