What were we doing right, education-wise, in the 80s and 90s?

[Anonymous]

According to this article, born between 1978 and 1987 are more literate than people born before and after. What was going right during those times?
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/social-mobility-memos/2016/12/23/the-declining-productivity-of-education/

[Anonymous]

Multiple recess periods per day, not rushing reading and writing, direct instruction including phonics.

[Anonymous]

Taught critical thinking.

Ignore the bull crap about recess above. Sounds like the musings of a hippy dippy “mama.”

[Anonymous]

Hooked on Phonics worked for me.

Also, Bears, Balloons, Boats, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Taught critical thinking.

Ignore the bull crap about recess above. Sounds like the musings of a hippy dippy “mama.”

Recess isn’t bull crap. We also had PE, music, and art.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Taught critical thinking.

Ignore the bull crap about recess above. Sounds like the musings of a hippy dippy “mama.”

Recess isn’t bull crap. We also had PE, music, and art.

And science and social studies every day. Amazing!

[Anonymous]

There’s nothing magical about that timeframe. Literacy increased over the years, as it should have, with increasing standards of living. The question is why was there a downturn in both literacy and numeracy after that.

[Anonymous]

Barbara Bush and her pet project of literacy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There’s nothing magical about that timeframe. Literacy increased over the years, as it should have, with increasing standards of living. The question is why was there a downturn in both literacy and numeracy after that.

OP here. Yeah, I get why literacy continued to improve over the years - just wondering what happened on the opposite end.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Taught critical thinking.

Ignore the bull crap about recess above. Sounds like the musings of a hippy dippy “mama.”

Recess isn’t bull crap. We also had PE, music, and art.

And they have all those things today

[Anonymous]

Republicans and their BS has been on a rise since Regan days later Gingrich really made it very much a zero sum game. Now we have Kushner running corona response. Like a bad fiction.

[Anonymous]

Unpopular answer: Any kid with SN severe enough to keep them below grade level and/or disruptive behaviors was not mainstreamed. There were plenty of latchkey kids, for sure, but most parents who were at least middle class made it pretty clear that 1. College was NOT optional and 2. Good grades were expected, and had to be earned.

[Anonymous]

This is why we chose what is now called a "traditional" education for DC. By that I mean: recess, p.e., music, art, phonics (and more phonics), handwriting, and math literacy. Worked for me, working for the kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unpopular answer: Any kid with SN severe enough to keep them below grade level and/or disruptive behaviors was not mainstreamed. There were plenty of latchkey kids, for sure, but most parents who were at least middle class made it pretty clear that 1. College was NOT optional and 2. Good grades were expected, and had to be earned.

Actually, I’d say the opposite of that. It’s only been in the past two decades that we’ve pushed this whole “college for all” thing.

[Anonymous]

Sight words. The fountas and pinnells system which tried to replace phonics using sight words and context is a disaster. Schools still don’t recognize this though. Many are still using it because it appears to work well with esol and SN kids but it’s a long term mistake.