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JonathanBoyerFirstPaper 6 - 23 Nov 2009 - Main.JonathanBoyer
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**READY FOR REVIEW** | | | Free Reading Material | |
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< | Backed by the legal argument that all children have a right to read and learn, many contend that all reading material should be void of copyright and thus free to all. As a consequence, underfunded schools would be able to afford sorely needed reading materials, and poor children would have unobstructed access to similar materials at home. Unfortunately, though, better access does not create an automatic conveyor belt to educational consumption. More like a necessary baby-step, free access to reading materials is far from sufficient for the purposes of closing the achievement gap. Without a mutually reinforcing combination of parental leadership and intrinsic motivation, educationally starved children would have solid food but no teeth, or they would rather starve than take the time/energy required to use a can-opener. | >
> | Backed by the legal argument that all children have a right to read and learn, many contend that all reading material should be void of copyright and thus free to all. As a consequence, underfunded schools would be able to afford sorely needed reading materials, and poor children would have unobstructed access to similar materials at home. Unfortunately, though, better access does not create an automatic conveyor belt to educational consumption. More like a necessary baby-step, free access to reading materials is far from sufficient for the purposes of closing the achievement gap. Without a mutually reinforcing combination of parental leadership and intrinsic motivation, educationally starved children would have solid food but no teeth. Or they might rather starve than take the time/energy required to use a can-opener. | | | At its core, the achievement gap in the United States is marked by social, political, and economic realities that have created inequitable disparities between how various sub-groups of children value and consume particular types of information. Although curing deficient access to information is a necessary goal that might also fully address some individual problems, it is overly optimistic to assume that this alone will significantly affect the achievement gap. Ultimately, the theoretical right to read and learn will not be fully vindicated until behavior patterns strongly associated with socioeconomic status -- reinforced through multiple generations -- are transformed so that a fully-stocked public library next door does not go unmentioned in a child's household. |
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