Schools Matter: Let's blame (1) teachers (2) schools of education (3) the decline of the US (4) lack of a national education program (5) parents, but not the real cul

Schools Matter: Let's blame (1) teachers (2) schools of education (3) the decline of the US (4) lack of a national education program (5) parents, but not the real cul

Let's blame (1) teachers (2) schools of education (3) the decline of the US (4) lack of a national education program (5) parents, but not the real cul

by skrashen

Let's blame (1) teachers (2) schools of education (3) the decline of the US (4) lack of a national education program (5) parents, but not the real culprit: POVERTY

Stephen Krashen

Everybody seems to think that our educational system is broken, because of our "low" test scores on international tests.

The federal government and Bill Gates think that the solution is improved teaching and teacher education, and that we can force teachers and Schools of Education to get better by "raising standards" and by evaluating

Don't blame parents, blame poverty

by skrashen

Don't Blame Parents, Blame Poverty

Sent to the Indianapolis Star, March 13

"The problem with parents" (March 13) blames parents for problems in American education. There is, however, no evidence showing that parents today are any less or more committed to their children than in previous decades.

The real culprit is poverty. Children of poverty suffer from inadequate food and medical care, and lack of access to books. Each of these is associated with low school performance.

Our high level of child poverty is responsible for our less-than-spectacular performance on international