POPSCI.COM / WINTER 2020 23IN THE AMERICAN EDUCATION
system, the kids are not all right. Re-
cent tests show that high schoolers
haven’t improved in math or read-
ing for the past 20 years, and middle
schoolers have gone backward in their
comprehension skills. All this comes
after years of expensive education
programs like No Child Left Behind
and Race to the Top, which prioritized
standardized test scores, not indi-
vidual growth, to mark progress and
groom students for college.
Expert educators contend that
schools need to infuse more flexi-
bility, creativity, and community into
their practices in order for a diverse
student body to succeed. We asked
them to lay out the steps for this rad-
ical classroom transformation.We need to turn away from defining
students by deficit, disorder, and disabil-
ity, which is currently how the system
measures neurological conditions, and
instead embrace individuals’ interests
and strengths. Organizations in countries
like the United Kingdom and Russia are
building models where an educator can
apply a student’s fascination with, let’s
say, aviation to real-life mathematics and
guide them to a career as a pilot.
—Stephen Shore,
assistant professor of education
at Adelphi UniversityThe only way to prevent COVID-19
from deepening inequality for an en-
tire generation is to equip families to
support learning at home. The most
recent study from McKinsey estimates
that Black students may fall behind by
10.3 months and Hispanic students by
9.2 months due to school closures. But
if we can get teachers to work together
with parents to set learning goals, be
supportive, and check in with each
other more, we can reach a tipping
point in changing the system for good.
—Alejandro Gibes de Gac,
CEO of the Springboard
Collaborative, a nonprofit
that trains teachersCity schools can break down walls with
natural and cultural environments and
take advantage of the social, emotional,
and health-related benefits of learn-
ing from rooftops, parks, cemeteries,
and museums. Recent research finds
that children who experience fresh air
and sunshine during or between formal
lessons tend to perform better academ-
ically. In the pandemic, this may be even
more true. Green Schoolyards America
and Europe’s forest kindergartens are
lighthouses that others should follow.
—David Sobel,
professor emeritus of education at
Antioch University New EnglandEach child is uniquely shaped by the
conditions of their birth and the conse-
quences of their lives. Estimates hold that
around half of US students have experi-
enced trauma. But studies also show that
just one supportive adult in a kid’s life can
blunt the impact of toxic stress on brain
development and behavioral control.
Schools that adopt a trauma-informed
approach, where they prioritize personal
relationships over curricula, can be a safe
haven where children heal and grow.
—Jane Wettach,
professor emerita of education
law at Duke UniversitySOUND BITESas told to sabrina imblerwhat’s the secret to
BETTERBETTER
SCHOOLS?SCHOOLS?