How schools really matter: why our assumption about schools and inequality is mostly wrong
Why we shouldn't be blaming schools so much. The forgotten 87 percent. Herbert Walberg's outrageous claim ; Trying to understand how schools matter when you have an eight-hundred-pound gorilla problem -- Chickens, eggs, and achievement gaps. When do achievement gaps emerge? ; Scaling matters ; Why the early years are so important ; Relative deprivation matters too -- One very surprising pattern about schools. Soccer coaches and schools ; Trying to understand how schools matter ; Seasonal comparisons ; What do we learn from the few studies that have collected data seasonally? -- And now a second, even more surprising pattern. School achievement, growth, and impact ; Objections -- A new way to think about schools and inequality. More like reflectors than generators. Schools generating inequality ; Two examples of schools reflecting broader society ; What about those high-flying schools? ; Underestimating early childhood -- Conclusion: A diminished role for schools, an enhanced role for early childhood -- As helping more than hurting. Schools as compensatory: The weak form ; Schools as compensatory: The strong form -- A Frida Sofia problem. Schools and inequality: Stuck within the traditional framing ; Our value for limited government ; Fear of "blaming the victim" ; Gender and the vulnerability of schools -- The costly assumption. Rich guys trying to reduce achievement gaps ; The never-ending quest to reform schools ; The great distractor ; So what should we do?