We think a lot of legislators should read this piece.

From Public School Apologist:

“Schools are expected to close gaps they didn’t create. Every morning, millions of children walk through the doors of our public schools. They’re roughly the same ages, sitting in classrooms together, learning from the same teachers, and working toward the same academic standards. That’s about where the similarities end.

Some children have been read to every night since they were babies. Others arrive at kindergarten having rarely held a book.

Some go home to a quiet place to study, a full refrigerator, and parents who can help with homework. Others go home to circumstances that make simply getting back to school the next morning an accomplishment.

Then we put all those children in the same classrooms, give them the same standardized tests, and wonder why they don’t all perform the same way.

Yes, it’s our job to help close those gaps. That’s one of the most important things public education does. Great teachers make an enormous difference, and there are schools all over this country doing remarkable things for children who face enormous challenges.

Let’s acknowledge the size of the task we’re asking them to accomplish. A teacher can provide excellent reading instruction. She can’t go back in time and make sure a child was read to during the first five years of his life. A school can provide breakfast and lunch, but it can’t guarantee there’s dinner waiting at home. Our counselors can help a child navigate difficult circumstances, but they can’t make those circumstances disappear.

It’s not about lowering expectations. It’s about recognizing that some children need considerably more help to reach the same destination. We should absolutely hold schools accountable for the difference they make in children’s lives.

We just need to stop pretending they’re responsible for every difference that existed before those children ever walked through the door.”

Originally posted on facebook on October 7, 2026