Please watch the following video from the Texas Tribune. In its brief four minutes Michael Marder explains how readily available data on Texas schools makes clear the real issue on college readiness is the connection with poverty.
There is more video below the fold, as well as some comments from yours truly
The videos appear at the website of The Texas Tribune, where you will also find links to download PDFs with the relevant data.
The second part of Marder's interview deals with charter schools:
And finally, the third part offers an interesting example from civil aviation that is quite relevant for what we are attempting to do with education:
Let's be clear. Poverty is not absolutely determinative in what will happen in our schools and with our children.
Let's also be clear. Out of schools factors tend to weigh much more heavily than any in school factors. The most significant in school factor is the quality of the teaching, but that is almost always insufficient to overcome the effects of poverty and of family and community deprivation.
We will not fix our problems through schools by themselves, and if we continue to attempt to do so, we are likely to continue doing more harm than good.
If we adjust the data on international comparisons for degree of poverty our students tend to perform as well or better than any in the world.
To our shame we have a higher degree of poverty than the industrialized nations against whom the comparisons are made.
To our greater shame, not only is poverty increasing in our nation, at the same time we are removing portions of the social safety net intended to address poverty while simultaneously shifting - by tax and other policy - ever more resources in the direction of those who do not need government assistance: tax breaks for the wealthy, tax subsidies for oil companies, etc.
We should not be addressing educational policy in isolation. Yes, there is an economic component to what we do about our schools, but it is not the message we have been hearing. Yes, our economy and our nation will be at risk if we do not address the needs of those attempting to climb out of poverty. But we will not solve the problems of poverty by narrowing the education poor children receive.
It is unfortunate but true that poverty falls more heavily on children of color - black, hispanic, native american. Perhaps it is because they are "other people's kids" that we do not seem upset that we deprive them of the rich education upon which so many insist for their own children, whether their own children attend non-public schools or simply are fortunate enough to live in the wealthy communities that can provide public schools of equal or often greater quality than most non-public schools.
There is data. It is clear. Michael Marder has done America a great service by analyzing the data and presenting in a way that is clear.
Now if only policy makers will pay attention.
Is that too much for which to hope?