To boost test scores, schools clamor for a horseman's advice

Teresa Watanabe:

On a ranch of willows and wild grass outside Sacramento, the cowboy cooed to his tawny mustang. Then he led Little Buck through basic commands -- back up, step forward -- and rewarded him with a biscuit.

Dennis Parker is a part-Cherokee trainer in rural Zamora, Calif., who sports a silver ponytail beneath his cowboy hat. But his recent demonstration was aimed at training a different breed grappling with far bigger tasks: educators under mounting pressure to raise students' standardized test scores.

As a dozen educators watched, Parker explained that good relationships are key toward boosting achievement and that horses and humans both respond to similar strategies. Build rapport with friendly chatter. Gain respect by giving out tasks. And give treats not simply as rewards but just to be fun.

"Can you do that with your kids?" Parker asked. "It's like training horses; you don't break them, you teach them."

Posted by Jim Zellmer at July 24, 2012 1:34 AM
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