To Close Achievement Gaps, Look Beyond Schools
Post submitted by Richard Nisbett, author of "Think Big, Bigger . . . and Smaller" (November 2010EL) and distinguished university professor at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
No Child Left Behind dictated that race and class differences in academic achievement be eliminated by 2014. Surely the U.S. Congress should have known that such a goal was not achievable. Even if the schools were to do a spectacular job of improving education for minorities and the poor, eliminating the gaps would be possible only if substantial progress were made in changing home, neighborhood, and peer factors. Children's academic abilities may be tied as closely to these factors as to anything that goes on in school.
Fortunately, we know there is a lot that can be done to reduce the gaps that occur before children even start school. There are now effective home visitation programs teaching parents how to engage their children in intellectually stimulating talk and activities. There are also effective early childhood education programs; these emphasize intellectual growth, last at least one-half a day five days a week, and are much more