Problems Beyond the Classroom

Sure, there are bad schools that waste money. But too often schools are the scapegoat, serving as the front line in dealing with problems outside the classroom. Kids who go hungry, or who don't have decent access to health care, or who come from a troubled family background have a harder time learning. A child who is sick and lacks medical attention has a hard time concentrating. Schools in poor neighborhoods do worse in large part because of what happens outside the classroom not what happens inside.