Today's Colorado Sun featured this article on how educational quality varies widely in Colorado, and how ZIP codes can be broad indicators of better (or worse) quality. It's mostly based on standardized testing results, and we can all whack away at the meaning of standardized tests and about how much is missed with those sorts of tests.
For any one student, in any one year or test, a standardized test score provides few insights into that student's education, intelligence, potential, etc. But in aggregate, test results can at least give us some trends.
I would never want to come off as skeptical, much less cynical (ha! ha!), but my first thought while reading the story on this latest study produced this question: "Really? Did we really need to invest more time and money asking if money and social class has a LOT to do with the odds of students getting better educations?"
Growing up in a community that is struggling, that is isolated, and where there is little money to lure top teachers and maintain top facilities does NOT doom any particular student to not being successful, not achieving academically, and not being a productive citizen. But does anyone doubt that our circumstances can make those things a much more difficult challenge?
And do we really need another study to confirm this doubt?
My skepticism does not bring any quick answers to inequities, and assessing a life is always more complex than checking on a person's home ZIP code.
I simply suggest that it's way past time to get to some sort of action stage. Enough with funding studies that confirm clear reality.
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