Student Creativity Faces Challenges With Standardized Testing and Academic Pressures

One of the many concerns facing the development of students today is the decline of student creativity. With frequent curriculum changes, more and increasing expectations, along with the pressure to excel academically, schools seem to inadvertently drift away from nurturing creativity and curiosity. The strict focus on standard tests and memorization has painted classrooms with a monochrome of rigidity that often sidelines imaginative exploration, artistic expression, and the natural wonder that fuels young minds.

Preston Trebas, STEM Training and Development Specialist at BoxLight, unveiled some of the layers of this issue for an episode of BoxLight and explored some insights into the pressing realities teachers navigate daily. Some of the pressing thoughts were: How do teachers reconcile the external pressures with their desire to ignite student creativity in their classrooms? How does the current educational climate cultivate or curtail the inherent creativity every child possesses? Trebas tackled what’s contributing to this change. 

Written by Alexandra Simon.

Recent Episodes

As public confidence in major institutions continues to erode, the American K–12 education system finds itself straining under the weight of legacy expectations and modern demands. From grading and college recommendations to extracurriculars and character development, K-12 schools are tasked with a near-impossible mission: to do it all, for everyone. At the same time,…

As conversations around workplace wellness, mental health, and burnout intensify across industries, many professionals are waking up to the reality that productivity and personal growth must go hand-in-hand. The rise of holistic health coaching, combined with a renewed focus on emotional intelligence in leadership, reflects a larger cultural shift: we’re not just working anymore—we’re…

Across the country, education savings accounts (ESAs) are reshaping how families think about schooling—but in Utah, surging demand is outpacing available options. Last year, roughly 27,000 students applied for Utah’s ESA program, but only 10,000 scholarships were available. While parental interest in alternative education is booming, a new bottleneck is emerging: the supply of…