We can't discount student poverty

"Before we throw quality public school teachers under the school reform bus, it would seem far wiser to first fully explore ways of bringing them students prepared to learn. It makes much more sense to support Early Head Start and other programs with proven track records." - Marcus D. Pohlmann

Corporate school reformers love to focus on teacher effusiveness and evil unions when dissecting why some students don't perform well in school. What they avoid discussing is the impact of a student's poverty on his/her ability to learn and succeed in school. Marcus D. Pohlmann, a professor of political science at Rhodes College has written extensively on this and related topics. He paints a vivid picture of the hurdles that poor students have to overcome to be successful in the K-12 setting and ultimately be prepared for college or the work force. He was a guest columnist in today's Answer Sheet in the Washington Post and shares his views on why we can't discount the socioeconomic status of our students when we try to determine the best way to serve them.