Money quote:
There is a huge difference in the number of words and the prohibitive or affirmative tone of words heard by young children depending on whether their parents are on welfare, in the working class or professionals.
Ask any teacher and they will tell you the same thing. Kids come to school with whatever they have been given at home. Those who were given less, have less; less of a vocabulary, less experience with stuff, less cognitive stimulation. The public who wants schools and teachers to fix this literacy shortfall, and take the blame for the problem, should realize that schools are not the problem! Never really have been! It is the families that attend the school that are the problem/solution.
No, I am not absolving teachers of their literacy responsibility. I am merely pointing out that teachers are not the fix. Indeed, school is not the fix. Remediation may be helpful, but there are just no funds for that. So, blame schools and teachers!
