Intelligence in the Classroom

This is the first of a three-part, "reality-based" look at NCLB by Charles Murray of the American Enterprise Institute. It's an interesting read, but I must say the Murray doesn't have a great grasp of the abilities of children in different IQ ranges. Despite that significant problem, the point he makes is good, especially in this insane era of "college prep for everyone!"

I've always thought that IQ measures school-related ability, not overall intellectual ability. Typical IQ tests miss whole reams of abilities that are important in life, but not so important in school .That being said, half of all the children are below average in school-related ability (and achievement). No amount of intervention will ever change that. It will merely change the definition of "average."

This appeared in The Wall Street Journal January 16, 2007. It's already scrolled off to the "pay per article" archive. If you're a subscriber, you can still view the other articles on the site.

Publication Date: 2007-01-16

By Charles Murray

Education is becoming the preferred method for diagnosing and attacking a wide range problems in American life. The No Child Left Behind Act is one prominent example. Another is the recent volley of articles that blame rising income inequality on the increasing economic premium for advanced education. Crime, drugs, extramarital births, unemployment--you name the problem, and I will show you a stack of claims that education is to blame, or at least implicated.

One word is missing from these discussions: intelligence. Hardly anyone will admit it, but education's role in causing or solving any problem cannot be evaluated without considering the underlying intellectual ability of the people being educated. Today and over the next two days, I will put the case for three simple truths about the%