Higher student achievement, better student behavior, and happier teachers. The flaw in these rankings, Goycochea argues, is that they are based on final outcomes rather than student growth. Thus she calls for a value-added approach to student assessment, where the key measure of instructional excellence is how far students have come academically. This approach should benefit students at both types of schools. Goycochea tells the story of a poor school that makes a concentrated effort to improve its students' writing.
Students do improve greatly, but when compared to rich schools, the scores still lag behind.
If one looks only at numbers, the school may look like a failure. 78-83 Understanding the learning process and how people differ in their approach to learning can help both teachers and students succeed. Too many of our students, particularly those in high-poverty schools, struggle to become fluent readers. Yet a simple solution to this serious issue could be just a shelf away. To develop literacy, students need access to many interesting reading materials.