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Larry Ferlazzo
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The Atlantic recently had an article discussing the research finding that increasing the number of streetlights decreases crime substantially:
Darkness is indeed a good cover for crime, so better lighting can make streets safer, not just by deterring misdeeds but also by encouraging others to fill the streets with activity.
That got me wondering if there might be similar “fixes” to school challenges.
It was early in the morning, and my mind was not working great. So I asked ChatGPT this question:
I just read an article talking about how increasing light on the streets, which is a non-polarizing issue, but that the research shows it has a dramatic reduction in crime. The crime doesn’t move elsewhere, it just disappears, particularly because creates opportunities for other activity to happen. What I’m trying to think about is when it comes to school reform or improvements in instruction quality, what ideas might be similar to the idea of adding street lighting that’s simple, non-polarizing, and solves the problem?
Here is its response:
There are a few school-improvement ideas that have a similar “street lighting” quality:
- relatively low-cost
- not especially ideological
- easy to explain
- create conditions where lots of good things happen indirectly
- improve the social environment rather than targeting only one narrow outcome
A key part of the street-lighting research is that lighting changes the ecosystem: more visibility, more informal supervision, more people out, more normal interaction. In schools, the closest analogues are interventions that increase connection, clarity, and productive participation across the whole environment.
Here are some of the strongest candidates:
1. Increasing student talk time
For ELLs especially, but really for everyone.
Simple routines like:
- think-pair-share
- structured partner talk
- quick retells
- small-group discussion protocols
These are not politically polarizing. They don’t require huge curriculum overhauls. But they often produce:
- better engagement
- stronger relationships
- more language development
- fewer behavior problems
- improved comprehension
- better writing
Like street lighting, they increase “visible participation.” More students become socially and cognitively present.
This especially fits with your interest in Story Floods, micro-retells, and Critical Thinking Dialogues.
2. Building predictable classroom routines
Clear daily structures:
- warm-up
- agenda posted
- transition routines
- exit tickets
- consistent partner/group norms
Research on classroom management repeatedly shows that predictability lowers cognitive load and behavior issues.
This is very “street lighting”:
- it reduces chaos
- increases psychological safety
- allows learning to happen almost as a side effect
It’s also one of the least polarizing reforms imaginable.
3. Improving schoolwide attendance outreach
Not punitive truancy systems — relationship-based attendance work:
- quick calls home
- positive contacts
- texting families
- greeting students at the door
- mentoring/check-ins
Attendance improvements cascade into:
- achievement
- behavior
- graduation rates
- mental health
- school climate
Like lighting, it changes whether people feel connected to public space.
4. Expanding access to high-interest reading
This may be one of the strongest analogies.
Not a complicated literacy ideology battle — just:
- more books
- easier access
- culturally relevant texts
- time to read
- audiobooks
- classroom libraries
The effects can spread across:
- vocabulary
- writing
- background knowledge
- motivation
- discipline
- even empathy
Very low-polarization compared to reading wars debates.
Stephen Krashen has argued versions of this point for years.
5. Better physical environments
This is the most literal analogy to lighting.
Things like:
- cleaner classrooms
- comfortable temperatures
- reduced noise
- natural light
- visually calm rooms
- functional bathrooms
- water access
These sound almost trivial, but they affect:
- stress
- attention
- attendance
- behavior
- teacher morale
Schools often underestimate how much cognitive bandwidth is consumed by environmental friction.
6. High-quality tutoring during the school day
Especially short, embedded tutoring.
Not flashy reform. Just:
- small-group help
- immediate feedback
- daily support
The evidence base here is extremely strong.
Importantly, tutoring often works because it increases:
- accountability
- relationships
- visibility
- opportunities to practice
Again, ecosystem effects.
7. Giving teachers more collaboration time
One of the least glamorous but potentially highest-leverage reforms.
If teachers have:
- common planning
- time to look at student work
- opportunities to share lessons
instruction quality tends to rise gradually and broadly.
Like lighting, it changes the environment in which everything else happens.
8. Explicit vocabulary and background knowledge support
Especially for secondary students and ELLs.
Simple practices:
- previewing vocabulary
- visuals
- short background primers
- sentence frames
- modeling
These reduce invisible barriers that otherwise compound every day.
This is similar to lighting because it increases “navigability” of the environment.
One interesting thing about your question is that it points toward a broader principle:
That’s why some reforms disappoint. They target individuals (“work harder,” “be more rigorous”) instead of redesigning the conditions under which people operate.
In education history, some examples that arguably had “street lighting” effects include:
- breakfast programs
- school nurses
- reducing class sizes in early grades
- universal preschool
- classroom libraries
- restorative greeting/check-in systems
- strong principal visibility in hallways
None are magic bullets. But they quietly change the daily ecology of schools.