Public School Myths?

I plan to purchase a book today; it's called 50 Myths and Lies That Threaten America's Public Schools: The Real Crisis in Education, by David Berliner and Gene Glass. I'll post more once I've read more.

In the meantime, Edutopia pulled some interesting info from it already, in an article titled "8 Myths That Undermine Educational Effectiveness."

"Myth #1: Teachers are the Most Important Influence on a Child's Education
Of course teachers are extremely important. Good teachers make a significant difference in achievement. But research indicates that less than 30 percent of a student's academic success is attributable to schools and teachers. The most significant variable is socioeconomic status, followed by the neighborhood, the psychological quality of the home environment, and the support of physical health provided. There are others, but the bottom line is that teachers have far less power to improve student achievement than do varied outside factors."

Click to read more at Edutopia...

Here is my concern when it comes to this line of thinking: I agree that there are many, many factors that lead to student success. But when this gets published as Myth #1, that teachers are not the most important factor...I feel like some teachers (certainly not all, but I've met some) will throw up their hands and say, "You see? I am powerless to effect real change until these deadbeat parents value education, and the government gives us more funding, and this neighborhood gets better, and...."

Until all those other factors can somehow miraculously fall into place, we must continue to work toward developing a system to educate children who must thrive, despite imperfect conditions. I am hoping that this book gives some suggestions as to how we might do that, rather than simply listing myths.

What are your thoughts? Let's start a discussion. Leave a comment below!