Comments on: Background Knowledge and Reading Comprehension: The Evidence Grows http://blog.coreknowledge.org/2009/07/06/background-knowledge-and-reading-comprehension-the-evidence-grows/ Closing the Achievement Gap: Teaching Content Sat, 20 Mar 2010 17:44:17 -0500 hourly 1 By: john thompson http://blog.coreknowledge.org/2009/07/06/background-knowledge-and-reading-comprehension-the-evidence-grows/comment-page-1/#comment-7218 john thompson Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:50:59 +0000 http://www.coreknowledge.org/blog/?p=2944#comment-7218 "The Matthew Effect" to those who are given much content, they are also given reading comprhension, and educational values, and an educated future, applies to all aspects of education. Robert Balfanz's study of 23 middle schools in Philly concluded."Within each school, students either significantly closed their achievement gaps or fell further behind." When students attended class at a rate of 95%, had excellent behavior, and put forth "greater-than-average effort in class, "a remarkable 77% closed their achievement gaps." On the other hand, sixth graders who failed math or English, who had an attendance rate of 80% or less, or had a poor behavior grade, had only a 10 to 20% chance of graduating on time. Simliarly, the Chcago School Constortium just documented the reasons why teachers leave high poverty school to lower poverty schools after they tire of the disorder and disrespect, meaning that the Matthew Effect gives more of the best teachers to the schools that are given fewer crises. Simlarly, there's longstanding pattern where principals with politcal leverage get to enforce their schools rules and transfer out their greatest problems. That incarnation of the Matthew Effect has been pumped up on steriods since charters have proliferaated. High performing schools would never choose to repeal the Matthew effect by voluntarily narrowing their curriculum and replacing electives with content-restricted artificial test prep. Even with the usual suspects trotted out by "reformers" arguing for their pet instructional theories, they rely on the Matthew Effect. in D.C. Shaw Middle School, for instance, where they recruited nation-wide for teachers to implement their intensely classroom-driven approach, they offer all of the services that the Bolder Broader Approach could dream of. We should remember back when we were kids. Did we learn to read through scripted instruction monitored by continuos assessment? Or did we read on the laps of our parents who also helped introduce us to a world of fascinating stuff i.e. content? If we want to help kids who haven't had our advantages at a young age, we need to give up on shortcuts and listen to Willingham who takes our common sense and explains it scientifically. “The Matthew Effect” to those who are given much content, they are also given reading comprhension, and educational values, and an educated future, applies to all aspects of education.

Robert Balfanz’s study of 23 middle schools in Philly concluded.”Within each school, students either significantly closed their achievement gaps or fell further behind.” When students attended class at a rate of 95%, had excellent behavior, and put forth “greater-than-average effort in class, “a remarkable 77% closed their achievement gaps.” On the other hand, sixth graders who failed math or English, who had an attendance rate of 80% or less, or had a poor behavior grade, had only a 10 to 20% chance of graduating on time.

Simliarly, the Chcago School Constortium just documented the reasons why teachers leave high poverty school to lower poverty schools after they tire of the disorder and disrespect, meaning that the Matthew Effect gives more of the best teachers to the schools that are given fewer crises. Simlarly, there’s longstanding pattern where principals with politcal leverage get to enforce their schools rules and transfer out their greatest problems. That incarnation of the Matthew Effect has been pumped up on steriods since charters have proliferaated.

High performing schools would never choose to repeal the Matthew effect by voluntarily narrowing their curriculum and replacing electives with content-restricted artificial test prep.

Even with the usual suspects trotted out by “reformers” arguing for their pet instructional theories, they rely on the Matthew Effect. in D.C. Shaw Middle School, for instance, where they recruited nation-wide for teachers to implement their intensely classroom-driven approach, they offer all of the services that the Bolder Broader Approach could dream of.

We should remember back when we were kids. Did we learn to read through scripted instruction monitored by continuos assessment? Or did we read on the laps of our parents who also helped introduce us to a world of fascinating stuff i.e. content?

If we want to help kids who haven’t had our advantages at a young age, we need to give up on shortcuts and listen to Willingham who takes our common sense and explains it scientifically.

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