Achievement as a constant not a variable.

There are many variables that impact student achievement from the home environment, to student decisions, and poverty.  In public schooling we can control one variable and that is quality instruction. We often want to push the problem off somewhere else, because it's easy to justify. We say things like: the kid is lazy, the parents don't care, or education is not a high priority.  All of these have an impact on the kid for sure.  We can't begin to understand what happens when the student is away from the school.  The only thing that is within our control are ourselves.

I believe wholeheartedly that achievement should be the constant.  We can melt away the effects of home environment, poverty and "lazy" kids by holding students accountable to precise standards of learning. In this world, achievement becomes the constant and not the variable.  We begin to talk about real solutions rather focusing on the problems.  The only control we have is when that student comes through the doors from 8:30AM to 3:15PM.