The fiction vs. non-fiction debate: A distraction from a more important question
Sent to the Los Angeles Times, Dec. 27, 2012
The debate over fiction vs. non-fiction in the Common Core is diverting us from a more important question: should we have common core standards?
The rational for the standards is the belief that our schools are “broken.” There is no evidence this is true: Middle class American students who attend well-funded schools score at the top of the world on international tests. Our unspectacular scores are because US has such a high percentage of child poverty, 23.1%, the second-highest percentage among 34 economically advanced countries. High-scoring Finland has less than 5.3% child poverty.
Poverty means poor diet, poor health care, and little access to books; all have a devastating effect on school performance.
There is no evidence that standards and tests improve school achievement. The money budgeted for standards and tests to enforce the standards should be used to protect children from the effects of poverty.
Stephen Krashen
Professor Emeritus
University of Southern California
Re LA Times editorial: “What students read,” Dec. 27, 2012: http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-
The debate over fiction vs. non-fiction in the Common Core is diverting us from a more important question: should we have common core standards?
The rational for the standards is the belief that our schools are “broken.” There is no evidence this is true: Middle class American students who attend well-funded schools score at the top of the world on international tests. Our unspectacular scores are because US has such a high percentage of child poverty, 23.1%, the second-highest percentage among 34 economically advanced countries. High-scoring Finland has less than 5.3% child poverty.
Poverty means poor diet, poor health care, and little access to books; all have a devastating effect on school performance.
There is no evidence that standards and tests improve school achievement. The money budgeted for standards and tests to enforce the standards should be used to protect children from the effects of poverty.
Stephen Krashen
Professor Emeritus
University of Southern California
Re LA Times editorial: “What students read,” Dec. 27, 2012: http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-
