Many decades of the lived experiences of children in other countries disagrees with that research. Children in eastern European countries learn advanced concepts from as early as second grade. In asian countries they are introducing Algebra in 6th grade or earlier. This is the problem California finds its self in. They have wonderful "research" showing that kids pick up the concepts better if you wait till they are older, but they ignore the lived reality of the rest of the world, that with the correct teaching you could actually have them doing this work at a much younger age.
Even here in America, tutoring schools such as Russian Math or Kumon are successfully teaching advanced topics to children at much younger ages than the public schools. I know the temptation is to just say its its high aptitude kids that are being sent to these after school programs, but it's not. It is just rich kids whose parents want to give their children a leg up. Almost all children could learn the topics, but we won't put in the effort
> Many decades of the lived experiences of children in other countries disagrees with that research.
Based on your reply, I’m fairly certain that you are not familiar with the research and your not familiar with what is actually happening in Eastern Europe, Kumon, etc. in relation to that research. As a professional in this area of research, I feel fairly qualified to say that I am.
I am happy to agree to disagree about what the problem is here, but I strongly encourage you to look deeper into what is actually happening in the research and the learning environments you are praising/promoting before you propagate a loose collection of anecdotes as data that points to a clear solution.
I am glad that we can disagree, and I hope you would spend some time considering that while the research has progressed we have experienced a rapid decline in the subjective and objective quality of education.
Just because I completely reject the ideas you may be involved with researching doesn't mean I am ignorant of them, I just haven't been convinced that they are based in reality.
> we have experienced a rapid decline in the subjective and objective quality of education.
Interestingly, on this we agree. That’s why throwing more bodies at the problem (your initial suggestion) is not a solution that I think would work. When a typical educator is asked why a certain teaching or learning method works, their answers tend to be both incorrect/incomplete and remarkably shallow (e.g., it worked for them when they were in school).
The research available points at multiple tried and true ways of learning, but getting these ways of learning implemented in households and in the public school system in the US is a Sisyphean task.
Even here in America, tutoring schools such as Russian Math or Kumon are successfully teaching advanced topics to children at much younger ages than the public schools. I know the temptation is to just say its its high aptitude kids that are being sent to these after school programs, but it's not. It is just rich kids whose parents want to give their children a leg up. Almost all children could learn the topics, but we won't put in the effort