© 2010 THE EDUCATION TRUST Raising Achievement and Closing Gaps Between Groups: Roles for Federal Policy

© 2010 THE EDUCATION TRUST First, some good news. After more than a decade of fairly flat achievement and stagnant or growing gaps, we appear to be turning the corner.

© 2010 THE EDUCATION TRUST Source: 4 th Grade Reading: Record Performance with Gap Narrowing NAEP 2008 Trends in Academic Progress, NCES *Denotes previous assessment format

© 2010 THE EDUCATION TRUST Source: 4 th Grade Math: Record Performance with Gap Narrowing NAEP 2008 Trends in Academic Progress, NCES *Denotes previous assessment format

© 2010 THE EDUCATION TRUST Source: 8 th Grade Reading: Recent Gap Narrowing for Blacks, Less for Latinos NAEP 2008 Trends in Academic Progress, NCES *Denotes previous assessment format

© 2010 THE EDUCATION TRUST Source: 8 th Grade Math: Progress for All Groups, Some Gap Narrowing NAEP 2008 Trends in Academic Progress, NCES *Denotes previous assessment format

© 2010 THE EDUCATION TRUST Bottom Line: When we really focus on something, we make progress!

© 2010 THE EDUCATION TRUST Clearly, much more remains to be done in elementary and middle school Too many youngsters still enter high school way behind.

© 2010 THE EDUCATION TRUST But at least we have some traction on elementary and middle school problems. The same is NOT true of our high schools.

© 2010 THE EDUCATION TRUST Source: Achievement Flat, Declining in Reading NAEP Long-Term Trends, NCES (2004)

© 2010 THE EDUCATION TRUST Source: Achievement flat in math National Center for Education Statistics, NAEP 2008 Trends in Academic Progress * Denotes previous assessment format

© 2010 THE EDUCATION TRUST And gaps between groups are mostly wider today than in late eighties, early nineties

© 2010 THE EDUCATION TRUST Source: 12 th Grade Reading: No Progress, Gaps Wider than 1988 NAEP 2008 Trends in Academic Progress, NCES *Denotes previous assessment format

© 2010 THE EDUCATION TRUST Source: 12 Grade Math: Results Mostly Flat Gaps Same or Widening NAEP 2008 Trends in Academic Progress, NCES *Denotes previous assessment format

© 2010 THE EDUCATION TRUST And no matter how you cut the data, our students aren’t doing well compared to their peers in other countries.

© 2010 THE EDUCATION TRUST Rankings are for the 26 OECD countries participating in PISA in 2000, 2003, and PISA Performance U.S.A. Ranks Near Bottom, Has Fallen Since 2000 Subject 2000 Rank (out of 26) Mathematics17 th Science13 th Source: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), PISA 2006 Results, Rank (out of 26) 22 nd Tied for 17 th 2006 Rank (out of 26) 22 nd 19 th

© 2010 THE EDUCATION TRUST A closer look at math

© 2010 THE EDUCATION TRUST Source: Of 29 OECD Countries, U.S.A. Ranked 24 th PISA 2003 Results, OECD U.S.A.

© 2010 THE EDUCATION TRUST Problems are not limited to our high-poverty and high-minority schools...

© 2010 THE EDUCATION TRUST U.S. Ranks Low in the Percent of Students in the Highest Achievement Level (Level 6) in Math Source: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), PISA 2003 Results, data available at

© 2010 THE EDUCATION TRUST U.S. Ranks 23 rd out of 29 OECD Countries in the Math Achievement of the Highest-Performing Students* * Students at the 95 th Percentile Source: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), PISA 2003 Results, data available at

© 2010 THE EDUCATION TRUST U.S. Ranks 23 rd out of 29 OECD Countries in the Math Achievement of High-SES Students Source: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), PISA 2003 Results, data available at

© 2010 THE EDUCATION TRUST Problems not limited to math, either.

© 2010 THE EDUCATION TRUST Science?

© 2010 THE EDUCATION TRUST PISA 2006 Science Of 30 OECD Countries, U.S.A. Ranked 21 st U.S.A. Source: NCES, PISA 2006 Results, Higher than U.S. average Not measurably different from U.S. average Lower than U.S. average

© 2010 THE EDUCATION TRUST Immigrants? The U.S.A. does have a larger percentage of immigrants and children of immigrants than most OECD countries Source: OECD, PISA 2006 Results, table 4.2c, U.S.A.

© 2010 THE EDUCATION TRUST But ranks 21 st out of 30 OECD countries when only taking into account native student* scores PISA 2006 Science U.S.A. *Students born in the country of assessment with at least one parent born in the same country Source: OECD, PISA 2006 Results, table 4.2c,

© 2010 THE EDUCATION TRUST Even in problem-solving, something we consider an American strength…

© 2010 THE EDUCATION TRUST Source: U.S.A. Ranks 24 th Out of 29 OECD Countries in Problem-Solving PISA 2003 Results, OECD U.S.A.

© 2010 THE EDUCATION TRUST Only place we rank high? Inequality.

© 2010 THE EDUCATION TRUST * Of 29 OECD countries, based on scores of students at the 5 th and 95 th percentiles. PISA 2003: Gaps in Performance Of U.S.15 Year-Olds Are Among the Largest of OECD Countries Source: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), PISA 2003 Results, data available at

© 2010 THE EDUCATION TRUST Source: Among OECD Countries, U.S.A. has the 4 th Largest Gap Between High-SES and Low-SES Students PISA 2006 Results, OECD, table 4.8b U.S.A.

© 2010 THE EDUCATION TRUST We used to make up for this by sending far more of our students to college—but no longer.

© 2010 THE EDUCATION TRUST U.S: 3 rd Out of 30 OECD Countries in Overall Postsecondary Attainment Source: 2007 OECD Education at a Glance, Note: data is for United States (38%)

© 2010 THE EDUCATION TRUST U.S. tied for 9 th out of 30 OECD nations in the percentage of younger workers with an associates degree or higher Source: 2007 OECD Education at a Glance, Note: data is for United States (39%)

© 2010 THE EDUCATION TRUST U.S. is one of only two OECD nations where today’s young people are not better educated than their parents Source: 2007 OECD Education at a Glance, Note: data is for United States (0)

© 2010 THE EDUCATION TRUST Current federal efforts aimed directly at reversing these trends Focused on “college and career readiness;” Driving toward 2020 goal to regain world leadership in postsecondary attainment.

© 2010 THE EDUCATION TRUST Past federal focus Look out for the students most likely to be bypassed in improvement efforts by states, locals (poor, minorities, students with disabilities, English language learners); Promote “excellence, higher standards for all.”

© 2010 THE EDUCATION TRUST Put Those Two Together: Key Roles for Federal Policy Get more kids to school ready; Provide extra resources for schools serving concentrations of poor children, language minorities, students with disabilities; Press states, districts, schools to expect more of such students; Push, press, lead, cajole states, districts, schools to attack the problems they are reluctant to face (provide leverage).

© 2010 THE EDUCATION TRUST Race to the Top College-ready standards and assessments; Effective teachers and leaders; Data Systems; School Turnaround.

© 2010 THE EDUCATION TRUST Download These Slides 1250 H Street N.W. Suite 700 Washington, D.C / This November, Take Charge of Change. Join us November 4-6 in Arlington, VA for our National Conference, Taking Charge of Change: Effective Practices to Close Gaps and Raise Achievement.”