An Open Letter to All Stakeholders in the US Educational System (i.e. students, parents, teachers, administrators, community members, business owners, government officials, and anyone else who values people and the continuity of humanity):

The educational system in the United States is in a state of crisis. While many will point the finger at COVID-19, insufficient funding, or any number of other explanations, the simple fact is that our system is failing because we are not addressing the root causes of our challenges: (1) most teachers are not trained in the science of learning or the technology of teaching, (2) students have not had equitable access to adequately trained teachers, and thus an effective education, due to insufficient teacher training, and (3) the most pragmatic, effective, and efficient approach to education, which was proven in the ’70s, has not yet been adopted system-wide. In effect, students have been denied access to effective education for the past 50-years which should be regarded as a human rights violation and a public health crisis requiring immediate attention. 

In order for you to learn more about the crisis and how you can take action in your community to positively impact the lives of those around you, please check out some or all of the following:

• “Blind Spots: Why Students Fail and the Science That Can Save Them” by Kimberly Nix Berens Ph.D. - https://amzn.to/3obXyGd
• “Kimberly Nix Berens Ph.D.: “Here Are 5 Things That Should Be Done To Improve The US Educational System”” by Penny Bauder - https://medium.com/authority-magazine/kimberly-nix-berens-ph-d-ef485462fdb1
• “Blind Spots in the American Education System: Session 136 with Kim Berens” by Matt Cicoria - https://behavioralobservations.com/blind-spots-in-the-american-education-system-session-136-with-kim-berens/
• "The Nurture Effect: How the Science of Human Behavior Can Improve Our Lives and Our World" by Tony Biglan & David Sloan - https://amzn.to/33y2q0u
• “Time to fix American education with race-for-space resolve” by Liz Mineo - https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2020/04/the-pandemics-impact-on-education/
• “How past crises changed America’s public schools — ‘and so too will covid-19’” by Valerie Strauss - https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2020/04/26/how-past-crises-changed-americas-public-schools-so-too-will-covid-19/

If you are interested in learning more about the Science of Learning and the Technology of Teaching, please check out these resources:

• “Behavior Analysis for Effective Teaching” by Julie Vargas - https://amzn.to/3qaaL42
• “Response to Intervention and Precision Teaching: Creating Synergy in the Classroom” by Kent Johnson & Elizabeth M. Street - https://amzn.to/3ofrT6T
• “The Morningside Model of Generative Instruction: What It Means to Leave No Child Behind” by Kent Johnson & Elizabeth M. Street - https://amzn.to/3oeWOQq

If you would like to learn more about educational programs based on the science of learning that utilize the technology of teaching, please visit these sites:

• Morningside Academy: https://morningsideacademy.org/
• FIT Learning: https://fitlearners.com/
• Maloney Method: https://www.maloneymethod.com/
• Great Leaps: https://greatleaps.com/
• The Fluency Factory: https://www.fluencyfactory.com/

Thank you for using this article as a catalyst for promoting positive change for yourself, your family, your community, and all of humanity by sharing this information far and wide!

All my best, Abigail Twyman