President Mbeki, understands as do U.S. officials that improved schools set the foundation for economic development. But how to improve schools is one of the most exasperating problems of our times. The U.S. offers no models for solving the problems after three decades of frenetic school reforms. Even the best reforms seem only capable of narrowing the gap a tiny fraction between poor urban students and their wealthier counterparts in the suburbs. Writing in the Jan. 16 New York Times Magazine, James Traub makes a persuasive argument that disadvantaged students will do poorly in school because reforms don't get at real problems that influence their performance.
Students come to the first grade already far behind.
Preschool programs need to be more educational and enriching, and parents need help mainly through better day care, jobs, transportation and wages. South Africa's President Mbeki isn't alone in struggling with these problems, but he may need to focus more on improving life for families to achieve any meaningful school reforms. Donal Brown, a retired high school teacher, has lived in Africa.