Would you take your child to a doctor who wasn’t trained in the science of medicine? A majority of parents would never do this, yet they must drop their kids off at school every day to be instructed by teachers who aren’t trained in the science of learning.
To make matters worse, when the instruction their kids receive fails to produce learning, the learner and the parent often receive the blame for this failure. Parents are blamed for lack of involvement. Kids are labeled with learning problems.
Colleges of Education do not train teachers in the science of learning. Teachers are exposed to theories about learning, but not the hard science that exists on how learning actually occurs. The result? Teachers who are not competent in the scientific tools required to produce effective learning outcomes with every student in their class. It is a heartbreaking state of affairs for everyone involved: teachers, students, and parents.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) indicates that close to 70% of students are currently below proficiency in all academic subjects (see figures above). Clearly, the ideas that guide teaching practices don’t work.
Science has led to remarkable advancements for humankind, yet these same advancements have never been made in our education system. The ideological stronghold of the educational establishment ensures that progress never occurs because progress requires science.