"We’ve imagined teachers as lazy, excuse-making quasi-professionals — or, alternately, as lifesavers. But the truth, of course, is more complicated. Quality schools and quality teaching clearly can make a difference in children’s lives, sometimes a huge difference, but we too often attempt to impute to teachers impossible powers."
Written during the 2012 Chicago Teacher Strike, this piece by journalist Alex Kotlowitz reminds us that teachers can only be expected to do so much. External forces in students’ lives can have a significant effect on their academic achievement, and teachers, often the scapegoats in conversations about the shortcomings of the American education system, ought not be held responsible.
The Early Math Collaborative works to improve math instruction for young children in three ways:
