Interesting study
David Albert
On Friday, as part of my professional work (public policymaking around
alcohol and drug issues -- especially drug treatment), I got to attend a
lecture by the head of the Civitan International Research Center at the
University of Alabama at Birmingham.
They have been conducted a 20-year-study on "school outcomes" in several
southern cities and towns. Specifically, they have been tracking
children and families where the mothers became pregnant in their teens.
85% of them were high school dropouts; average IQ of the mothers was 71
(bordering on retarded.) Their main question is what could be done to
ensure "school success" among the children -- such success defined as
"normal" scores for reading and math, and at least high school
graduation. All of this under the assumption that "school success" was
a good thing, because it would lead to improved lives in the next
generation. Given the families they were working with, I think it is
fair not to question the assumption (even though we'd all likely agree
it is quite narrow.)
They divided the mothers into two groups -- one to receive intensive
home services for both mother and children in preschool years -- not
just academics for kids, but working with moms to get them to interact
better with their children, etc. etc. The other group was a control
group. Lo and behold, the provision of these intensive services proved
a great success, 5, 10, and even 15 years later. The kids ended up with
IQs exactly at the mean, same with reading and math scores, same with
high school graduation rates, etc., etc. Interesting too, 78% of those
mothers in families who received services went back and got their
G.E.D.s (as opposed to only about 20% of the control group.) In the
control group, average IQ ended up at around 72, and there was a 75%
high school drop out rate, etc., etc. (you can find all these results
on the Civitan website, which I think is www.circ.uab.edu
But now the researchers tried something interesting. They divided both
groups -- those receiving intensive services in preschool and the
control group -- in half again. Half of each group received intensively
"academic" services in schools in grades K-3. They specially trained
the teachers, provided "one-on-one" time with the teachers, smaller
class sizes, reading specialists, math specialists, the whole nine
yards. For the control group, they treated the kids in school like
everyone else.
Guess what? Providing the intensive services in school had NO EFFECT
upon future "school success"! Not a whit - and neither for those who
received the intensive pre-school services or the control group. I'll
say that again -- for this population, intensive school services had no
effect on school success -- neither on reading, math, high school
dropout rates, etc.
Naturally there are those who will say this proves the need for
intensive interventions in families, at least for at-risk kids. I won't
debate the point -- for kids in families like these, it probably is a
good thing. But turn it around -- the studies show that it is the
quality of family life, not what goes on in school, that makes the big
difference in "academic success". Asked about this, the researchers
said it is clear that, for the child, especially the young child, there
is no useful distinction to be made between education and life -- they
are all of a piece and cannot be usefully distinguished.
I know there are homeschooling parents out there who sometimes worry
about those things which their kids might be "missing" by not attending
school. This study and lots of others should help allay fears -- what
is important is what is happening in your family. Don't let all that
talk about "education reform" fool you -- it is all a smokescreen for a
system which is failing, and failing fast. And at best, as this study
would seems to indicate, even on the school's own terms, what happens in
the classroom is irrelevant to children's future success, even as it is
damaging to the child's quality of life in the here and now.
David Albert
--
John Taylor Gatto calls "And the Skylark Sings with Me: Adventures in
Homeschooling and Community-Based Education" "a treat you should not
miss!" To read a sample chapter, reviewers' comments, or the foreword,
and to order (cheaper than Amazon, and I'll sign it for you too!), visit
my website at http://www.skylarksings.com
alcohol and drug issues -- especially drug treatment), I got to attend a
lecture by the head of the Civitan International Research Center at the
University of Alabama at Birmingham.
They have been conducted a 20-year-study on "school outcomes" in several
southern cities and towns. Specifically, they have been tracking
children and families where the mothers became pregnant in their teens.
85% of them were high school dropouts; average IQ of the mothers was 71
(bordering on retarded.) Their main question is what could be done to
ensure "school success" among the children -- such success defined as
"normal" scores for reading and math, and at least high school
graduation. All of this under the assumption that "school success" was
a good thing, because it would lead to improved lives in the next
generation. Given the families they were working with, I think it is
fair not to question the assumption (even though we'd all likely agree
it is quite narrow.)
They divided the mothers into two groups -- one to receive intensive
home services for both mother and children in preschool years -- not
just academics for kids, but working with moms to get them to interact
better with their children, etc. etc. The other group was a control
group. Lo and behold, the provision of these intensive services proved
a great success, 5, 10, and even 15 years later. The kids ended up with
IQs exactly at the mean, same with reading and math scores, same with
high school graduation rates, etc., etc. Interesting too, 78% of those
mothers in families who received services went back and got their
G.E.D.s (as opposed to only about 20% of the control group.) In the
control group, average IQ ended up at around 72, and there was a 75%
high school drop out rate, etc., etc. (you can find all these results
on the Civitan website, which I think is www.circ.uab.edu
But now the researchers tried something interesting. They divided both
groups -- those receiving intensive services in preschool and the
control group -- in half again. Half of each group received intensively
"academic" services in schools in grades K-3. They specially trained
the teachers, provided "one-on-one" time with the teachers, smaller
class sizes, reading specialists, math specialists, the whole nine
yards. For the control group, they treated the kids in school like
everyone else.
Guess what? Providing the intensive services in school had NO EFFECT
upon future "school success"! Not a whit - and neither for those who
received the intensive pre-school services or the control group. I'll
say that again -- for this population, intensive school services had no
effect on school success -- neither on reading, math, high school
dropout rates, etc.
Naturally there are those who will say this proves the need for
intensive interventions in families, at least for at-risk kids. I won't
debate the point -- for kids in families like these, it probably is a
good thing. But turn it around -- the studies show that it is the
quality of family life, not what goes on in school, that makes the big
difference in "academic success". Asked about this, the researchers
said it is clear that, for the child, especially the young child, there
is no useful distinction to be made between education and life -- they
are all of a piece and cannot be usefully distinguished.
I know there are homeschooling parents out there who sometimes worry
about those things which their kids might be "missing" by not attending
school. This study and lots of others should help allay fears -- what
is important is what is happening in your family. Don't let all that
talk about "education reform" fool you -- it is all a smokescreen for a
system which is failing, and failing fast. And at best, as this study
would seems to indicate, even on the school's own terms, what happens in
the classroom is irrelevant to children's future success, even as it is
damaging to the child's quality of life in the here and now.
David Albert
--
John Taylor Gatto calls "And the Skylark Sings with Me: Adventures in
Homeschooling and Community-Based Education" "a treat you should not
miss!" To read a sample chapter, reviewers' comments, or the foreword,
and to order (cheaper than Amazon, and I'll sign it for you too!), visit
my website at http://www.skylarksings.com
[email protected]
In a message dated 12/4/99 11:28:45 PM Eastern Standard Time,
shantinik@... writes:
<< even on the school's own terms, what happens in
the classroom is irrelevant to children's future success, even as it is
damaging to the child's quality of life in the here and now.
completely turned off to "learning," and reading?
Laura
shantinik@... writes:
<< even on the school's own terms, what happens in
the classroom is irrelevant to children's future success, even as it is
damaging to the child's quality of life in the here and now.
>>Then how do we explain why my older kids and many like them are
completely turned off to "learning," and reading?
Laura