The State – Mary Ann Matthews
“COLUMBIA, SC — How many people would buy a new house that was not wired correctly? Of course, no one would. Not only is it dangerous; it’s wasteful: How much easier is it to have a house wired properly and inspected as it is built, rather than waiting several years and trying to figure out where the faulty wiring is. But this is essentially what we do in education: We attempt to rewire the circuitry after the job is largely complete. We tinker with changes in grades K-12, rather than going straight to the source — the formative years from birth to age 3, when a child’s potential for success is being wired. Science tells us that babies learn more in the first three years than at any other period in their lives; during this period, windows of opportunity open, when the brain’s wiring can be influenced most easily and efficiently. This can set a child on the road to success. Or failure.”(more)