With the 2022 midterm elections behind us and 2023 state legislative sessions ahead, policymakers must shift their time and attention from winning reelection to addressing the perfect storm brewing in education. Three significant challenges paint a grim picture for students and public schools unless policymakers step in to help: catastrophic…

In his campaign for Mayor of New York City, Bill de Blasio positioned himself as the candidate most determined to break with the legacy of the outgoing Michael Bloomberg administration. Voters responded enthusiastically, handing de Blasio a nearly 50-point margin of victory in the November 2013 election. De Blasio, a Democrat, interpreted the win…

An important contest is taking place in Washington, D.C.--a race between two vehicles designed to carry children into the future with the habits and skills they need to live productive, meaningful lives. The older of the two, the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS), uses a "unified governance model" that emerged more than a…

In 2013, the Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS) published the first-ever report on English language learners (ELLs) enrolled in member districts, reporting on a range of indicators in addition to ELL enrollment and languages spoken by such students. This report updates most of the data presented in the 2013 Council ELL report, shedding light…

This report provides the historical background and interpretive analysis needed to understand controversies surrounding Common Core and its associated tests. In this report, Williamson M. Evers presents a revised and expanded version of his expert report for "Jindal v. United States Department of Education et al.," No. 14-CV- 534 (M.D.…

More than one in four of America's public schools are rural, and nearly one in six of the nation's students are in rural areas. Many children and their families in rural America need better and more equitable educational opportunities. This is the main theme of "Why Rural Matters 2015-16: Understanding the Changing Landscape," the eighth…

In recent years, debates over school reform have increasingly focused on the role of teacher unions in the changing landscape of American K-12 education. On one hand, critics argue that these unions, using their powerful grip on education politics and policy to great effect, bear primary responsibility for blocking states' efforts to put into…

President Obama and congressional leaders have vowed to take action this year on the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), most recently reauthorized and rebranded as the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. While most observers remain skeptical that everyone will actually see a signing ceremony in 2011, it does appear likely that at least…

The push for national examinations is motivated by unrealistic expectations about the information they will yield. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has now been asked to monitor achievement at the state level, serve as an evaluation and accountability instrument, and be a benchmark for other tests. This article examines…

This document presents the transcript (and written statements) of a congressional hearing on the potential politicization of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and the trustworthiness of the scores that the states received during the 1998 reading assessment. It addresses whether Vice President Al Gore's "release" of…

Describes bipartisan efforts to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act; asserts that enforcing state compliance with requirements of the act is major challenge. (PKP)

Two recent reports on reading have attempted to do the following: (1) summarize national trends in reading performance; (2) review research pertaining to reading education. After discussing the findings of both, the article concludes that each fails to address seriously the broad cultural significance of illiteracy and literacy. (PS)

Comments on the 1998 Civics Assessment of the National Assessment of Educational Progress. The broad coverage of the assessment answers many questions about students' knowledge of politics and government and the teacher and classroom context for learning about civics. (SLD)

This digest presents various views of the federal role in testing and offers a brief examination of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the "nation's report card," in its national sample format and its state administration, which critics fear has the potential to become a de facto national test if selected as the…

Maintains that the choice of geography as one of the core subjects in the America 2000 and Goals 2000 reform plans provides an opportunity to increase its role in the school curriculum. Argues that those who chose geography have a different view of the discipline than professional geographers. (CFR)