Who is right? Are there silver bullets in education? What does the Southern Surge teach us? A careful look at what is happening in the South doesn’t show us that education reform is easy. There are (sadly) no silver bullets. However, with significant effort over many years, it is indeed possible.
As education expert Karen Vaites pointed out in an essay co-authored with journalist Kelsey Piper, the Southern Surge is actually a result of “multilayered reforms.” Several of these reforms have gotten significant press attention, including (yes!) phonics, retention policies (i.e., holding back third graders who don’t meet reading standards), teacher training, and frequent student assessment.
But one aspect of the reforms, arguably one of the most important, has not gotten as much airtime—possibly because it is the hardest to explain succinctly. That is the adoption of “knowledge-building curricula” by many of the relevant school districts, particularly those in Tennessee and Louisiana.
As I have written about previously for The Dispatch, knowledge-building curricula emphasize “the crucial role of background knowledge in comprehending what you read.” Here’s an example: My two older sons spend a lot of time talking to me about the intricacies of the video game Minecraft. I don’t play any video games, including Minecraft, and I have zero background knowledge on the topic. I find it basically impossible to understand what they are saying about how the game works—despite it being explained to me repeatedly, and at volume. That’s similar to how a seventh grader from an impoverished household might feel if she has no background knowledge of Victorian England, yet is handed A Christmas Carol and told to understand it. What is a charwoman? What is a milliner’s shop? These and many other similar questions would baffle a reader who lacks the needed context to follow the story’s plot.
To combat this, some areas in the South are moving to dramatically increase their students’ background knowledge in history, science, and so forth. Running contrary to the trend of “ask ChatGPT” or “just Google it,” these schools are trying to increase the amount of information in students’ heads. Louisiana—for example—has created its own social studies curriculum that emphasizes knowledge acquisition by students.
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more.
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Did taxpayer funded Wisconsin DPI Superintendent Underly Juice Test Scores for Reelection?
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Only 31% of 4th graders in Wisconsin read at grade level, which is worse than Mississippi.
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Madison taxpayers have long supported far above average (now > $25,000 per student) K-12 tax & spending practices. This, despite long term, disastrous reading results.
Madison Schools: More $, No Accountability
The taxpayer funded Madison School District long used Reading Recovery…
The data clearly indicate that being able to read is not a requirement for graduation at (Madison) East, especially if you are black or Hispanic”
My Question to Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers on Teacher Mulligans and our Disastrous Reading Results
2017: West High Reading Interventionist Teacher’s Remarks to the School Board on Madison’s Disastrous Reading Results
Madison’s taxpayer supported K-12 school district, despite spending far more than most, has long tolerated disastrous reading results.
“An emphasis on adult employment”
Wisconsin Public Policy Forum Madison School District Report[PDF]
WEAC: $1.57 million for Four Wisconsin Senators
Friday Afternoon Veto: Governor Evers Rejects AB446/SB454; an effort to address our long term, disastrous reading results
Booked, but can’t read (Madison): functional literacy, National citizenship and the new face of Dred Scott in the age of mass incarceration.
When A Stands for Average: Students at the UW-Madison School of Education Receive Sky-High Grades. How Smart is That?