Let’s put out the fire, not measure the temperature of the blaze.

Sent to USA Today

The government is planning to collect an astonishing amount of detail in order to get a more precise measure of student poverty  (“Plans aim to determine students’ socioeconomic status,” May 9).

This will cost millions in data gathering, and analysis, followed by changing guidelines and evaluating the results of the changes.

We have more than enough data to accurately identify which students live in poverty and a great deal of evidence showing that students living in poverty do poorly in school because they suffer from hunger and malnutrition, have inadequate health care and have little access to reading material.  Instead of measuring the problem, we need to invest in solving it, improving food programs, health care and school libraries.

The building is obviously on fire. Lets put out the fire now, without first developing expensive and more precise ways of measuring the temperature of the blaze. 

Stephen Krashen

Original article at: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/05/09/obama-administration-education-free-lunch/2144137/

And also at: http://www.susanohanian.org/outrage_fetch.php?id=1606

Susan Ohanian’s comment:

I find it fascinating that the Feds want to further detail the conditions of poverty--instead of doing something about poverty, such as raising the minimum wage, providing housing support, and so on.