Today’s moderator: Maureen Downey
Maureen Downey has written about local, state and federal education policy at the AJC for 12 years. She’s also taught college classes in mass communications and journalism. However, she’s learned more about schools from having four children in them.
»Join the discussion online today: Share your opinions and ideas on Maureen's blog Get Schooled.
As we begin the “season of giving,” we focus on the children in America who have the least. In a guest column, the president of the National Education Association discusses how poverty undermines student learning, tied to Tuesday’s release of an international benchmarking test where U.S. poverty will likely impact scores. In a second essay, a college professor maintains that we expect poor children to find the inner resources to overcome their disadvantages rather than giving them more of the resources their affluent classmates enjoy. Readers debate whether poverty can be overcome by grit and determination.
Today's columns:
- "Still trailing," by Dennis Van Roekel
- "Poor kids need slack, not grit," by Paul L. Thomas
- "Response to today's conversation," by our readers
