Examining the link between eyesight and learning 

Last week, The Baltimore Sun reported on a study being conducted by our own Center for Research and Reform in Education (CRRE). The article, "Hopkins studies student vision, learning," describes the 300-student study that is being carried out in partnership with the Wilmer Eye Clinic. At the start of the study, students from 12 Baltimore schools participated in an internal and external screening of their eyes, a dilated exam, and if needed, a measurement for glasses. The students were also given a reading exam. Now, at the end of the school year, the researchers are repeating vision and reading assessments to evaluate the impact of the glasses on visual function and reading performance.
 

The article notes that the results so far have been "staggering" - of the 250 students tested between January and March, 150 met the criteria for needing glasses. Dr. Robert Slavin, director of CRRE, is quoted as saying, "It's shameful there hasn't been a concentrated effort to tackle vision deficiencies as an educational barrier. We have to get people thinking that school reform is more than just books and computers. That by whatever means necessary, we have to make sure kids are successful."
 

Read the full article here. 

Johns Hopkins University 

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