It’s like a math story problem that plagues every sixth grader. “If Student A’s achievement at the end of third grade is more than a full school year ahead of Student B’s achievement and Student B’s learning is expanding by .75 years each school year, how many years of instruction will be needed before Student B’s achievement equals Student A’s achievement?”

This is not a trick question. It is the very question that parents, local taxpayers and state legislators are asking all the time. Why can’t Student B’s achievement be improved rapidly to equal the achievement of Student A? Teachers are mandated by legislative statute to close the gaps in learning that exist between disaggregated groups of children. When the learning trends of one group resembles Student A and the learning trends of another group resembles Student B, how long will it take before the achievement of each group is equal? Three years is the correct statutorial answer. If the gaps in student achievement in a given school are not closed in three years, teacher and principals will be fired. It really is like the sixth grade math problem that we all remember; the one that nobody got right.

Interestingly, no, sadly, the problem and description of the problem above are all too real.

Coupled with the problem of achievement gaps is the tenacity of many critics of public education, too many of these critics being politicians with legislative solutions, to believe that the differences in pre-academic backgrounds that children bring to Kindergarten doesn’t exist or should be ignored. To put this into a sixth grade albeit a difficult sixth grade problem, it would read like this.

“Student A is a young athlete who has enjoyed good nutrition, a progressive training schedule and supportive coaching. Student B is a young athlete who seldom enjoys three meals a day, has not be trained, and, in place of supportive adults, lacks the consistent support of any adult. On September 1, Student A and Student B will begin a long endurance race. Student A will begin with a running start and Student B will begin seated on the ground and 100 yards back. During the race, Student A will enjoy continuing and increasing nutrition, coaching and support. Student B will enjoy a differing mount of nutrition, coaching and support, and some years there may not be any at all. Your task is to create an argument that will convince observers of this race that Student A and Student B are running a fair and reasonable race.”

It would seem that the argument is self-evident, yet the mandates for closing achievement gaps fly in the face of the evidence. If teachers really do high quality work, the mandates tell us, Student B will rise from the ground and quickly catch Student A. The argument will in favor of Student B is totally based upon the power of mandated accountability.

Let’s begin from a different premise. The differences between Student A and Student B are givens, yet the challenge of causing all children to become educated young adults prepared for adult life remains. The new problem reads thusly.

Student A and Student B are two different and unique children. Each child begins public education with truly personalized pre-education backgrounds and idiosyncratic learning traits. The teachers for Student A and the teachers for Student B may use any and all available resources to achieve this end: Every child will be college and/or career ready at the completion of their thirteenth year of schooling. Your task is to create an argument that will explain that this strategy and goal is unfair and unreasonable.”

You may begin now.  We’re listening.