Education and Vitriol

"I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn." - Albert Einstein

While Principal Richards sails home, a lot of angst has emerged in his wake. 

Many factors contribute to school performance. School factors, teachers, student populations, home environment, and yes, wealth impact school outcomes. Even a cursory look at MCAS scores show a strong correlation with average family income, home price, and per pupil expenditure. Do MCAS scores measure the response to opportunity or affluence? That isn't to say MCAS scores per se should be the measure of school success.

This quote from Poverty and Academic Performance makes the point, "Schools often receive blame for their students’ poor academic performance even though the teachers and principals work to provide strong curricula, high expectations, and safe climates."

Moreover, we are all subject to 'attributional bias' including "the tendency of people to blame their failures on situational components and attribute their successes on internal factors." A good example is Bobby Valentine's blaming the Red Sox problems on umpiring. 

Achievement and success do not follow finger pointing, but rather a focus on process and solutions. What can we do as a community to enrich our students' progress? As a community have we done enough to encourage love of learning, learning as a lifelong behavior, teaching 'real-life skills' in the classroom (how to prepare for a job or college interview, how to manage your life, how to deal with suffering and disappointment), and engaging students in meaningful community service? Does every student read "Man's Search for Meaning?" Have we done enough to inspire and encourage our students? We must repeat and instill those four most important words "I believe in you."

Still, opportunity and outcome are not synonymous. In Freakonomics, the authors describe one disenfranchised child who becomes an economist, and another advantaged child, Ted Kaczynski, who became the Unabomber. 

Blaming any one individual for our limitations isn't the answer. As a community, if we want to get ahead, we need to look ahead.