Close gap in access to good teachers, curriculum and schools, says new book, campaign - The Washington Post: For more than a generation, educators and policymakers have been agonizing about America’s achievement gap, the persistent chasm in academic performance between poor and privileged children.
A new book and a national campaign launched Thursday says the country must pay equal attention to the “opportunity gap” — which exists when poor and minority students and English language learners lack the same access as affluent students to skilled teachers, quality curriculum and well-equipped schools.
Instead of placing a heavy emphasis on “outputs” of the educational system — test scores and graduation rates — the country must also focus on “inputs” or what it invests in schools, said Linda Darling-Hammond of Stanford University, one of 20 academics who joined together to write “Closing the Opportunity Gap.”
“We’re not saying don’t pay attention to outcomes,” Darling-Hammond said. “If you want to achieve the outcomes, and not just talk about them, you have to pay attention to inputs.”
