What happened
Nikole Hannah-Jones, a New York Times writer, enrolled her daughter in a struggling Brooklyn public school to live out her integrationist principles. However, her daughter, Najya, received weak instruction, had ungraded assignments, and experienced disorderly classrooms. Despite Hannah-Jones' efforts to intervene, Najya struggled academically and eventually chose to attend a rigorous screened school, where she caught up with the help of tutoring and new teachers.
Hannah-Jones acknowledges that she failed her daughter and that the school's weaknesses, including low expectations and poor instruction, were to blame. However, she still argues that segregation and school choice are central explanations for the school's struggles. Her essay sparked debate, with some arguing that schools have limited influence over a student's academic outcome, while others point to the importance of competent instruction, order, and high expectations in schools.
Mississippi's Literacy-Based Promotion Act is cited as an example of a successful education reform, which combined early screening, teacher training, and evidence-based instruction to improve reading scores. The article concludes that schools that prioritize order, competent instruction, and high expectations can give students a better chance to learn, while those that make excuses for disorder and failure do not.
