Reasonable Positions

Maybe the Broader, Bolder ideas are too expensive. Perhaps they are too difficult to implement. But they are only as contemptibly foolish (as one critic states) as the following hypotheses*:

1. Ceteris paribus, children without access to health care learn less in school than children who have access to health care.
2. Ceteris paribus, children who are hungry or undernourished learn less in school than children who are well-fed.
3. Ceteris paribus, children who are in supportive learning environments from birth to age five will learn more than children who are not in supporting environments from birth to age five.
4. Ceteris paribus, school-age children who have adults present from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 on weekdays will perform better in school than children who are left alone.
5. Ceterus paribus, classrooms with 10-20 students will outperform classrooms with 25-35 students.

* This list is meant to be illustrative, not exhaustive, of the assumptions behind the EPI Broader, Bolder report.