via BlackDoctor:
Who knew that a simple fix could be the solution for low-income students to perform better in school? Well, Johns Hopkins had an idea.
Three years ago, Johns Hopkins University researchers in Baltimore wondered if the gap in reading performance between poor students and wealthier ones be closed if they gave the poor students eyeglasses?
They knew that poorer students were less likely to have glasses than wealthier white children, but data were limited on whether simply helping children better focus on the page in front of them might improve their ability to master a skill essential for early learning. They screened several hundred second- and third-graders, gave two pairs of eyeglasses to the ones who needed them (about 60 percent of the group, based on a uniquely liberal prescribing standard) and then they tracked their school performance over the course of the year. The outcomes were notable even with the small sample size—reading proficiency improved significantly compared with the children who did not need eyeglasses.
In May 2016, the Baltimore Health Department assembled a public-private coalition made up of the city’s public school system, Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins School of Education, eyeglass retailer Warby Parker, and a national nonprofit called Vision To Learn.
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