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Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Schools Matter: Shocking revelations from Geoffrey Canada's autobiography

Schools Matter: Shocking revelations from Geoffrey Canada's autobiography

Shocking revelations from Geoffrey Canada's autobiography

Sent to the New York Daily News, October 13

Geoffrey Canada says that a longer school day, increased accountability, and "data to drive instruction" can help children who have fallen behind ("The truth about our schools," October 13). But in his autobiography, Fist, Stick, Knife, Gun, he credits reading for his own school success, despite growing up in poverty: "I loved reading, and my mother, who read voraciously too, allowed me to have her novels after she finished them. My strong reading background allowed me to have an easier time of it in most of my classes."
There is no clear data supporting longer school days, increased accountability and data-driven instruction as a means of improving school performance. In contrast, there is overwhelming evidence showing that Mr. Canada's