Michael Wald: Good Education Policy Alone Can't Get All Students to College

In this interview, Stanford University Professor of Law Michael Wald argues that parenting is of critical importance to student success. He estimates that approximately 50% of children born each year in the United States will graduate from high school, continue through college, and become self-sufficient and productive citizens. Another 30% will graduate from high school but not go on to college and will struggle to maintain financial stability. For these students, changes in education quality would make a great difference. For the remaining 20%—those who will drop out of high school—improvements in education quality are not enough: These students and their parents need deeper supports, especially during the critical formative years between 0 and 5.

This interview followed Wald's SCOPE Brown Bag Lecture: "Improving Educational Outcomes By Improving Parenting" on December 9, 2013.