Yet even middle-class children do not achieve at the same levels as youngsters in other industrialized countries, and disadvantaged children do much worse. In some cities, half the students drop out, and many who graduate don't have the skills to get a decent job or to benefit from college. We hear many ideas about how to help the education system succeed with these youngsters. But even if we gave schools every imaginable resource, Harris says, it would still be like jumping into the water to save kids who are already drowning. We must go on trying, but we are kidding ourselves if we think that improving K-12 education is enough to solve the problem.
Research shows that the brain develops most rapidly during a child's first year.
Harris cites a study that found an astonishing 12 percent of preschoolers to be learning-impaired because of preventable causes like malnutrition, lead poisoning and abuse and neglect. But a child's physical well-being is not the only issue. These poor kids are not the only ones who pay for their lack of readiness. This means we have an enormous national problem. By 1995, the figure will be one-third.