How to unleash student potential in education (with Jack Despain Zhou)
Apr 23, 2025
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Jack Despain Zhou, cofounder of the Center for Educational Progress, discusses the stagnation in U.S. education and the need for reform. He questions the effectiveness of standardized tests and advocates for ability-based grouping to enhance student learning. Zhou explores the disconnect between cognitive science and classroom practices, stressing the importance of evidence-based methods. He also critiques the No Child Left Behind act and its unintended consequences, highlighting the need for innovative and personalized teaching strategies.
The U.S. education system is stagnating due to a reliance on a universal curriculum that overlooks individual student needs and abilities.
Shifting from age-based to ability-based grouping enhances personalized instruction and optimizes learning outcomes for each student.
Integrating cognitive science principles like spaced repetition and addressing the resistance to evidence-based strategies are vital for improving educational practices.
Deep dives
Current State of U.S. Education
U.S. education is experiencing stagnation rather than a complete decline. Data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress shows notable decreases in mathematics and reading across most states, highlighting persistent challenges. However, these issues have been part of a long-standing struggle in education, with schools continuing to fight the same battles and repeat the same mistakes over time. The insistence on a universal curriculum for all students has contributed to this stagnation, failing to address the varied needs and abilities of individual students.
Special Education Funding Insights
A significant portion of educational budgets, approximately 25%, is allocated to special education. This funding is directed towards a range of needs, from full-time aides for students requiring extensive support to interventions for those needing assistance in standard classrooms. Despite the considerable investment, the effectiveness of special education funding is mixed, with passionate educators striving to help but also facing growing demands for more resources. While special education plays a critical role in accommodating diverse learners, it is not the root of broader educational challenges.
Reimagining Educational Structures
To genuinely enhance education, the focus should shift from age-based to ability-based grouping of students. Traditional education methods often lump students of the same age into classrooms, ignoring their unique skill levels and learning needs. Evidence suggests that personalized instruction tailored to a student’s current ability enhances learning outcomes, similar to effective practices in sports or music. By prioritizing ability over age, educators can better support each student’s learning journey and optimize their educational success.
The Role of Cognitive Science in Education
Adopting principles rooted in cognitive science can significantly improve learning outcomes. Techniques such as spaced repetition and interleaved practice, though sometimes counterintuitive and challenging to implement, have been shown to enhance memory retention and understanding. Despite the evidence favoring these approaches, many educators remain resistant due to entrenched methodologies and unproven fads that still circulate in education systems. Thus, a concerted effort to integrate effective, evidence-based strategies is crucial for elevating teaching practices.
Challenges of Standardized Testing
Standardized testing often exposes achievement gaps, leading to pushback against its use in assessing educational outcomes. Critics argue that focusing on these scores can hinder genuine progress by encouraging schools to 'teach to the test' rather than fostering holistic student learning. A more viable approach could involve leveraging standardized tests as diagnostic tools to better understand student needs without implementing punitive measures. Shifting the focus from achieving arbitrary proficiency levels to facilitating personalized learning objectives can help create a more supportive educational environment.
How bad are things in US education? Why does it seem that educational progress has stagnated? What parts of the US education system should be reformed? Is it better to group students by skill level or by age? How useful are standardized tests? Why is there so commonly a disconnect between what cognitive science tells us about how people learn and the practices that are actually implemented in classrooms? How much do we know about what it's like in schools today? What did the No Child Left Behind act get wrong? What should educational incentive structures look like? Is individual student progress constrained more by interest or intelligence? In the grand scheme of things, how big of a problem is classroom management? What happened in the FAA hiring scandal? Did it increase the risks associated with flying? How could the FAA have better achieved its own ends?
Jack Despain Zhou, also known online as Tracing Woodgrains, is the cofounder of the Center for Educational Progress, a nonprofit focused on reorienting education around a culture of excellence. Elsewhere, he is known for his coverage of institutional crises and online history, particularly the FAA's hiring scandal and Wikipedia abuse, and for cultural and political commentary from an ex-Mormon centrist perspective. He previously helped produce Blocked and Reported, a podcast about internet nonsense. He can be found on Substack as Tracing Woodgrains or on Twitter as @tracewoodgrains.
