ADHD Medication Can Help Kids, But It Can't Fix Schools

By Nancy Rappaport

I think we can all agree that reforming schools through medicating students would be misguided, even ridiculous.

Yet The New York Times reported last fall that some physicians, particularly in low-income communities, are prescribing stimulants to students as a way to compensate for their inadequate schools. The children cited in the article didn't suffer from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, but they weren't receiving the educational services they needed. Some physicians told the Times that they used medication to level the playing field for their young patients. This practice produces a new equation for education reform: Boredom + distraction = medicine.

At times, medication is necessary for students with a diagnosis of ADHD, and it can be daunting for poor families to access good diagnostic assessment and therapy. But the use of stimulants to improve poor academic performance or enhance cognitive skills is a travesty that can...