How does the increasingly prevalent culture of fear in today’s world affect the education system and its impact on students? Since September 11th, 2001, fear has become a constant in every aspect of society, including education. In some ways, it has been heightened security measures that have created more hype about terrorism and fear than there actually is; however, a very interesting way fear has risen is through increased testing of students [1]. Today’s students are the leaders of tomorrow. The academic, as well as personal success that students achieve while in school at young ages has a direct correlation to the prosperity of our nation in future years [6]. A culture of fear has been created in the United States as a result of 9/11, and it has pervaded every aspect of life. Cory Doctorow shows clearly how fear has crept into society through his novel Little Brother, illustrating, in an extreme example, how if the correct education of citizens is not attained, society can quickly lose its ability to function on a successful day-to-day basis. More importantly, the character and self-concept of students is at risk of deterioration if education becomes infiltrated by this culture of fear [3].  

We are all at risk of falling prey to the culture of fear in education; everyone in the public school system is subject to it due to the ways that education laws have been reformed [6]. In order to guarantee that our future leaders are receiving proper education in order to keep our nation safe and strong, numerous types of high stakes testing in education have been implemented [5]. But what happens when high stakes tests become our primary means of education? Today’s students do not have the same ability to think critically as students of the past, and standardized testing has been found to decrease the motivations, successes, and self-perception of students [3, 4]. 

This hypertext will explore the ways in which education and students have been affected by the culture of fear, specifically through high stakes standardized testing. It will also address the ways that the culture of fear has contributed to the need for strong students and education in order to carry on now and in the future the success and security of our nation.