But, unfortunately, some kids just have way too many challenges to overcome. And, you can see the changes as they kids get into upper elementary. The kids who get support at home do their homework, get their projects in on time, have involved parents, etc. just do better. I don't really think they're 'smarter'. They are just more ready/able to learn because of all the support their receive at home.

The kids who have no support at home just get further and further behind at this point. The gap widens as they go through school.

Home for sure.

We're at an ES with a high FARMS rate/high ESOL population, and I volunteer quite a bit at the school. ALL of the kids are smart and inquisitive and come to school wanting to learn. We have fantastic teachers.

But, unfortunately, some kids just have way too many challenges to overcome. And, you can see the changes as they kids get into upper elementary. The kids who get support at home do their homework, get their projects in on time, have involved parents, etc. just do better. I don't really think they're 'smarter'. They are just more ready/able to learn because of all the support their receive at home.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Achievement gaps are due to lack of resources -- in communities. Homes AND schools AND neighborhoods.

They are not due to children being neglected. Children can be neglected in affluent homes.

No, it's due to not caring - in communities, homes, and schools. Starts with oneself though.

So a 5 year old is to blame for his/her own academic struggles?

Not so much at that age but certainly as kids get older.

But if the child is never taught this from a young age how are they expected to know this later in life.
This is the issue. If they don't learn this at home, hopefully the child encounters a caring teacher who came help.

It is easier to overcome bad schooling. You can supplement at home, switch schools. But a bad home life is much more difficult to overcome.Certainly neither is deficiency is hopeless or insurmountable.

I don't disagree. Making a successful kid is like a three legged stool - good school system/teachers, supportive home, and kid who wants to excel. You take one out, the stool can't stand.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Achievement gaps are due to lack of resources -- in communities. Homes AND schools AND neighborhoods.

They are not due to children being neglected. Children can be neglected in affluent homes.

No, it's due to not caring - in communities, homes, and schools. Starts with oneself though.

So a 5 year old is to blame for his/her own academic struggles?

Not so much at that age but certainly as kids get older.

But if the child is never taught this from a young age how are they expected to know this later in life.
This is the issue. If they don't learn this at home, hopefully the child encounters a caring teacher who came help.

It is easier to overcome bad schooling. You can supplement at home, switch schools. But a bad home life is much more difficult to overcome.Certainly neither is deficiency is hopeless or insurmountable.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Achievement gaps are due to lack of resources -- in communities. Homes AND schools AND neighborhoods.

They are not due to children being neglected. Children can be neglected in affluent homes.

No, it's due to not caring - in communities, homes, and schools. Starts with oneself though.

So a 5 year old is to blame for his/her own academic struggles?

Not so much at that age but certainly as kids get older.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Achievement gaps are due to lack of resources -- in communities. Homes AND schools AND neighborhoods.

They are not due to children being neglected. Children can be neglected in affluent homes.

No, it's due to not caring - in communities, homes, and schools. Starts with oneself though.

So a 5 year old is to blame for his/her own academic struggles?

Home.

DS attends a school that does not have a great rating, especially compared to our other neighborhood school.

That said when you look at the school test scores the difference between economically disadvantaged children and non-economically disadvantaged kids is huge.

The impact of home life is undeniable. We choose the school we did b/c I like the idea of language immersion in ES and when I reviewed the test score by race and economics my DS is just as likely to succeed in his current school as in the other more highly rated school.

BTW I understand that test score are not the end all but it is easily obtained data.

Anonymous wrote:Achievement gaps are due to lack of resources -- in communities. Homes AND schools AND neighborhoods.

They are not due to children being neglected. Children can be neglected in affluent homes.

No, it's due to not caring - in communities, homes, and schools. Starts with oneself though.

Achievement gaps are due to lack of resources -- in communities. Homes AND schools AND neighborhoods.

They are not due to children being neglected. Children can be neglected in affluent homes.

Not in the same way. Children in affluent homes are not neglected in the same way as those in the projects. Being ignored by parents is not the same as being neglected. Neither being ignored nor neglected is a good thing--but it is not the same thing.

For one thing, most affluent parents know to talk to their kids. They know to read to their kids. Big difference.

Achievement gaps are due to lack of resources -- in communities. Homes AND schools AND neighborhoods.

They are not due to children being neglected. Children can be neglected in affluent homes.

Anonymous wrote:It's really both.

If you want "both" I'll give you 10% schools, 90% home. But what happens at home definitely plays the biggest part in it.

Anonymous wrote:It's really both.

I was going to say the same. You beat me to it. Both!

It's really both.

Uh, and how is that working out? I'd say we need to do even more. We need to get to the root causes (if you're hungry or your house is stressful, it's pretty hard to focus on school).

Hunger, we can fix. How do you fix stress? How do you make parents read to their kids, talk to them (instead of scream), be sure they are safe? etc. How do you keep people off of drugs? How do you make them get their kids to school?

Sure, some of these situations are due to poverty--but poverty is no excuse for ignoring your kids. By the way, I don't have the answer.

There was an article in WAPO last year about a woman who worked hard at getting to the food pantries early, etc. She had two working age kids living at home and could not get them to get up and help her. She could not get them to go apply for jobs. They slept in and were no help. How do you change that?

Anonymous wrote:Not around here. Poorer schools get 3 times the funding.

Uh, and how is that working out? I'd say we need to do even more. We need to get to the root causes (if you're hungry or your house is stressful, it's pretty hard to focus on school).