A lot of research is done in the field of education, but much of it is shoddy, and
often conclusions are misleading or confusing. It is hard to know who to believe. However,
there are some practices which have been demonstrated time and again to be effective, and
good schools use them. The most reliable of these have been documented in What Works,
a compendium of the best results from educational research. It was published by the United
States Department of Education in 1986 when William Bennet was Secretary of Education.
These eight focus on what we know about the impact of the home. Later Principal Points
will focus on classroom and school issues.
- Parents are their children’s first and most influential teachers. What parents do
to help their children learn is more important to academic success than how well-off the
family is.
- The best way for parents to help their children become better readers is to read to them
– even when they are very young. Children benefit most from reading aloud when they
discuss stories, learn to identify letters and words, and talk about the meaning of words.
- Children improve their reading ability by reading a lot. Reading achievement is directly
related to the amount of reading children do in school and outside.
- A good way to teach children simple arithmetic is to build on their informal knowledge.
This is why learning to count everyday objects is an effective basis for early arithmetic
lessons.
- Children who are encouraged to draw and scribble "stories" at an early age
will later learn to compose more easily, more effectively, and with greater confidence
than children who do not have this encouragement.
- A good foundation in speaking and listening helps children become better readers.
- Many highly successful individuals have above-average but not extraordinary
intelligence. Accomplishment in a particular activity is often more dependent upon hard
work and self-discipline than on innate ability.
- Belief in the value of hard work, the importance of personal responsibility, and the
importance of education itself contributes to greater success in school.