The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction has released a new set of standards for schools, and Will Flanders and Kyle Koenen of the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty have questions ("DPI lowered state school standards, keeping parents in the dark," Nov. 24).

One question in particular stands out. They wonder why, under these new standards, some schools with low rates of student achievement are given passing grades.

Perhaps there is an answer in a recent piece by James E. Causey ("The truth is more mentors are needed to help Black boys succeed," Nov. 24). In it he talks about the multiple traumas so many students have experienced.

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Things like trauma can affect learning. Kids who live in poverty, kids who are homeless, kids who have lost friends and family to violence will have a harder time doing well in school.

Perhaps the new DPI standards are just an acknowledgment of this reality. Some students need a lot of help to succeed academically. Schools that take on the challenge shouldn't be downgraded.

Howard Hoffman, Milwaukee

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