Education Next – Mark Dynarski
“Recently seven students attending public schools in Detroit sued the state of Michigan in a Federal district court. Shortages of materials, not having skilled teachers, and poor conditions of their school buildings had deprived them of access to literacy, which, they argued, is essential in order to enjoy the other rights enumerated in the Constitution. From a research perspective, the case is interesting because the students (their law firm, at least) argued explicitly that evidence-based literacy programs are available and codified by the Institute of Education Sciences’ ‘What Works Clearinghouse,’ and, indeed, the suit names various reading programs supported by evidence that the state of Michigan did not use in Detroit schools.” (more)