Sent to the Los Angeles Times, November 27, 2015
No Child Left Behind gets undeserved credit for making schools pay attention to students living in poverty ("Education's sweet spot,” November 27). Experienced educators have always been aware of the effects of poverty and know which schools and students are the most impacted. Also, educational research has confirmed the negative effects of poverty on learning for decades.
Recommending more precise measurements to identify needy schools is like recommending that fire departments invest in expensive and highly accurate thermometers so that firefighters get the exact temperature of dangerous and rapidly spreading fires before trying to put them out.
Instead of spending billions on unnecessary testing, let's invest in protecting children from the impact of poverty, i.e. expanded and improved food programs, improved health care, and improved school and public libraries in high-poverty areas. The best teaching in the world has little effect when children are hungry, undernourished, ill, and have little access to reading material.
Stephen Krashen
Original article: http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-adv-school-reform-20151127-story.html
No Child Left Behind gets undeserved credit for making schools pay attention to students living in poverty ("Education's sweet spot,” November 27). Experienced educators have always been aware of the effects of poverty and know which schools and students are the most impacted. Also, educational research has confirmed the negative effects of poverty on learning for decades.
Recommending more precise measurements to identify needy schools is like recommending that fire departments invest in expensive and highly accurate thermometers so that firefighters get the exact temperature of dangerous and rapidly spreading fires before trying to put them out.
Instead of spending billions on unnecessary testing, let's invest in protecting children from the impact of poverty, i.e. expanded and improved food programs, improved health care, and improved school and public libraries in high-poverty areas. The best teaching in the world has little effect when children are hungry, undernourished, ill, and have little access to reading material.
Stephen Krashen
Original article: http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-adv-school-reform-20151127-story.html
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