Michelle Rhee: Poverty Must be Tackled But Never Used as an Excuse

Michelle Rhee: Poverty Must be Tackled But Never Used as an Excuse: A recent ad campaign we launched at StudentsFirst to raise awareness around the weak academic performance of U.S. students compared to their global peers drew all kinds of reactions. Many people were shocked to learn we're among the worst performing nations in the world in math and said they wanted to help bring about change. But some said our lagging scores weren't all that surprising, or even terribly disappointing, given high poverty levels in America. I find that response so troubling. Poverty presents huge challenges in our schools. But expectations of academic success for a child should never hinge on the circumstances of his or her birth. Our schools can't fix all of society's problems, but what happens in classrooms everyday can make a huge difference in the life outcomes of all children. As such, our schools can and should be held accountable for ensuring all students are learning.