Loss of Slavin a blow to remedial education efforts

America’s low-income children just suffered a devastating loss with the recent death of Robert Slavin, director of the Center for Research and Reform in Education at Johns Hopkins University (“Baltimore schools should expand tutoring to compensate for COVID disruptions, Abell Foundation says,” March 30.

Dr. Slavin was our country’s most important expert on reading and math remediation, particularly in the early grades, and only now, in the context of pandemic-related learning loss, is his research and advocacy of tutoring being fully acknowledged. His elementary school model, Success For All, first implemented in Abbottson Elementary here in Baltimore over 30 years ago, became arguably the most successful elementary school intervention in supporting the academic growth of low-income children.

His advocacy and research on the need for young children’s access to eyeglasses was revolutionary. Most recently, Dr. Slavin co-authored a report laying out a framework for expanding tutoring in Baltimore and championed a “Marshall Plan” for evidence-based tutoring programs nationwide as a response to the pandemic. Fortunately, his partner and wife, the brilliant Nancy Madden, is available to continue his work. For me personally, he was a longtime colleague, friend and hero.

Robert C. Embry Jr., Baltimore The writer is president of the Abell Foundation, Inc.