Natalie Wexler

The untold story of the root cause of America's education crisis--and the seemingly endless cycle of multigenerational poverty. It was only after years within the education reform movement that Natalie Wexler stumbled across a hidden explanation for our country's frustrating lack of progress when it comes to providing every child with a quality education. The problem wasn't one of the usual scapegoats: lazy teachers, shoddy facilities, lack of accountability. It was something no one was talking about: the elementary school curriculum's intense focus on decontextualized reading comprehension "skills" at the expense of actual knowledge. In the tradition of Dale Russakoff's The Prize and Dana Goldstein's The Teacher Wars, Wexler brings together history, research, and compelling characters to pull back the curtain on this fundamental flaw in our education system--one that fellow reformers, journalists, and policymakers have long overlooked, and of which the general public, including many parents, remains unaware. But The Knowledge Gap isn't just a story of what schools have gotten so wrong--it also follows innovative educators who are in the process of shedding their deeply ingrained habits, and describes the rewards that have come along: students who are not only excited to learn but are also acquiring the knowledge and vocabulary that will enable them to succeed. If we truly want to fix our education system and unlock the potential of our neediest children, we have no choice but to pay attention.

The hidden cause of America's broken education system--and how to fix it

The Knowledge Gap

I think it’s interesting to wonder at what age it is required to teach what skill or in what specific order it should be done. As noted earlier in the book, there is a great emphasis on reading in school and if you cannot read on grade level by third grade then you’re four times less likely to graduate from high school. However, what determines what skills and what order matter most and are easily accessible. I understand not being able to tailor school to every student but obviously a one size fits all approach doesn’t work either…

“To be sure, education is essential if democracy is going to function. But a high school civics course may be too little and too late.” 

“An understanding of vivid fundamentally depends on an understanding of history. It’s hard to grasp how the system operates if you have no idea where it came from and no context in which to place it…and yet, it is believed, devoting more time to history would rob students of their best chance of learning to read—clearly a vital prerequisite for becoming a well-informed and responsible citizen.” 

It can make you feel like you’re treading water in the middle of the ocean where no land is visible 

“…they’re often saddled with figuring out what to teach as well as how to teach it—a burden that can be oppressive, especially for teachers with little experience.” 

“One is that young children are primarily interested in subjects that relate to their own lives. The other is that history is “developmentally inappropriate” for the early grades.” 

The Knowledge Gap quotes

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