What Happens Outside of School Matters

With so much being written about achievement gaps, school reform, school failure and other attendant issues, people often neglect to look at what takes place outside of the school setting which affects student achievement. The need to discuss these 'Out of School Factors' is critical.

David Berliner at Arizona State University has conducted extensive research into the issue of OSF. His March 2009 study entitled 'Poverty and Potential: Out-of-School Factors and School Success has identifiecd six major OSF which affect school achievement.

The six OSF factors that affect school success are:
1. low birth weight and non-genetic prenatal influences on children
2. inadequate medical, dental and vision care, often a result of inadequate or no insurance
3. food insecurity
4. environmental pollutants
5. family relations and family stress
6. neighborhood characteristics

What Berliner found is that when these elements are in evidence then students are less successful. It just so happens that areas with great poverty (often inner cities) are more prone to face these challenges. It may come as no surprise but, African Americans and Hispanics tend to be the groups who are most affected.

Over the next few days I will discuss these six OSF factors in more detail in the hopes that it will indicate the extent to which these affect students but, it will also reveal the extent to which schools don't have as much control over student success as one may think.

Dick