Politics, Policy and Improving Schools

CRESST Annual ConferenceUCLA September, 2004

The Education Trust

Three Purposes

• Put students front and center;• Describe evolution and central

purposes of NCLB;• Show you some encouraging data.

1. Where we were in the run up to reauthorization

For two decades, not much progress in improving student

achievement.

High School Achievement: Math and Science

1986 1990 1992 1994 1996 1999

Science

Source: NAEP 1999 Trends in Academic Progress.

HIGH SCHOOL ACHIEVEMENT: READING AND WRITING

1984 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996

READING

WRITING

Achievement Up in Math, 13 Year-Olds, NAEP

220230240250260270280290300

Source: US Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. NAEP 1999 Trends in Academic Progress (p. 108) Washington, DC: US Department of Education, August 2000

Achievement Flat in Reading 13 Year-Olds, NAEP

What about different groups of students?

During seventies and eighties, much progress in

raising achievement among poor and minority

students.

Gaps Narrow 1970-88NAEP Reading 17 Year-Olds

1971 1975 1980 1984 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996

African American Latino White

Gaps Narrow 1973-86NAEP Math Scores, 13 Year-Olds

1973 1978 1982 1986 1990 1992 1994 1996 1999

Between 1988-90, that progress came to a halt…and gaps began to widen

once again.

Gaps Narrow, Then Hold Steady

or Widen: NAEP Math Scores, 17 Year-Olds

1973 1978 1982 1986 1990 1992 1994 1996 1999Ave

rage R

After 1988, Gaps Mostly Widen NAEP Reading,

17 Year-Olds

rage R

Gaps Narrow, Then Hold Steady or Widen: NAEP Math Scores, 13 Year-

Gaps Narrow, Then Mostly Widen NAEP Reading, 13 Year-Olds

Where are we now?

Where Are We Now? 4th Grade Reading All Students

Prof/ AdvBasicBelow Basic

Source: USDOE, NCES, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Summary Data Tables

By Race/Ethnicity 4th Grade Reading 2003

61 57 53

27 29 31

12 14 16

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

Afr.Am.

Latino NativeAm.

White Asian

Prof/ Adv

Below Basic

Source: USDOE, NCES, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)

By Family Income 4th Grade Reading 2003

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

Poor Not Poor

Where Are We Now? 8th Grade Math All Students

Source: USDOE, NCES, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Summary Data Tables

By Race/Ethnicity 8th Grade Math 2003

61 53 46

7 11 1636 42

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

Afr.Am.

Latino NativeAm.

White Asian

Prof/ Adv

Below Basic

AT END OF HIGH SCHOOL?

African American and Latino 17 Year-Olds Do Math at Same Levels As White 13 Year-Olds

200 250 300 350

White 8th Graders African American 12th GradersLatino 12th Graders

Source: NAEP 1999 Long Term Trends Summary Tables (online)

2. THE EVOLUTION AND CENTRAL PURPOSES OF

Historically, Three Key Roles:

• Looking out for students most likely to be left behind—poor and minority children, disabled students, language minorities;

• Providing extra resources to schools with concentrations of such children;

• Providing leadership to improve overall school quality.

Throughout seventies and eighties, resources provided

through programs like Chapter 1 seemed to be

working.

By the early ’90s, it was clear that the we needed a

renewed focus on equity and achievement gaps.

The 1994 Elementary and Secondary Education Act:

•More flexibility, more accountability

•Federal government would no longer ask HOW the money was spent, but whether all students were learning

The 1994 reforms required:

- Consistent state standards in reading and math

- Full participation, with reasonable adaptations/accommodations for disabled and LEP students

- States determined how much progress would be considered “adequate” for schools and districts

- Disaggregated data

What happened?

- Many states failed to implement law:- Assessments Not Developed- LEP students not included- Weak AYP with no focus on gap-closing- Disaggregated data unavailable in most

states

- Gaps kept growing

And we continued defining “quality” in education in the

same old ways.

A few examples…

Abraham Lincoln Middle School Alachua County,

Florida• 31% White• 59% African American• 57% Low Income• An “A” school under the Florida

accountability model

Source: Florida Department of Education, http://web.fldoe.org.

Achievement Gaps at Lincoln2002-03 Reading

All White African

American

Income

Source: Florida Department of Education, http://web.fldoe.org

AYP Target= 31%

Alexis I du Pont High SchoolRed Clay, Delaware

• 49% White• 24% African American• 21% Latino• 31% Low Income• Named “One of America’s Best

High Schools” by Newsweek Magazine

Source: Delaware Department of Education, http://www.doe.state.de.us

Newsweek Magazine, June 2, 2003

Achievement Gaps at du Pont2003 English/Language Arts 10th

All African

American

Latino White Low

Income

AYP Target= 57%Source: Delaware Department of Education, http://www.doe.state.de.us

While the black, brown and poor kids in these schools

were effectively hidden from public view, they were not

hidden from Congress.

Prior to 2000 elections, democratic leadership

determined to do something about this.

Target: Accountability Systems

Then came the 2000 elections:

• A new president committed to “Texas style accountability”;

• Joined with key democratic leaders;• Pressed republican members to

come along.

• Bottom line: A very different politics.

3. It’s easy to focus on problems created by the

Three benefits

• Schools a lot more focused on the “hidden kids” than ever before;

• Creating a treasure trove of data validating how much schools matter; and,

• Laying the foundation for next-generation approaches, including value-added…

Dateline: North Carolina

18 June 2003

North CarolinaRaising Achievement, Closing Gaps

Grade 4 Reading

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

African American

Source: North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, http://www.ncpublicschools.org

Charlotte-MecklenburgRaising Achievement, Closing Gaps

Grade 3 Math

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

African American

Latino

Chapel Hill-CarrboroRaising Achievement, Closing Gaps

Grade 3 Math

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

African American

Education leaders see a clear link between the jump in test scores and the federal mandate to push schools to look past their overall score averages to the performance of their lowest-scoring students.

“Schools are really buckling down under the pressure of No Child Left Behind.”

- The News and Observer.

Tandra Batchelor-Mapp, principal of Glendale-Kenly Elementary School in Johnson County, said her school stepped up efforts to encourage parent participation while requiring more extra help and tutoring for struggling students. “No Child Left Behind was a major factor,” Batchelor-Mapp said. “We want our students and parents to be proud of our school.”- The News and Observer.

Black third-graders in Chapel Hill-Carrboro schools made a 24 point gain in math from last year and an 11 point gain in reading, more than double the progress reported for all students. Diane Villwock, testing director for Chapel Hill Carrboro schools, said schools focused heavily on students whose performance was below grade level, particularly minority students.

- The News and Observer.

Source: Education Trust analysis of data from National School-Level State Assessment Score Database (www.schooldata.org).

Poverty vs. Achievement in Kentucky Elementary Schools

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Percent FRPL

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Percent FRPL

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Percent FRPL

Source: Education Trust analysis of data from National School-Level State Assessment Score Database (www.schooldata.org).Data are from 2002.

Poverty vs. Achievement in Michigan Elementary Schools

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Percent Low-Income Students

Also, more states, districts now moving toward…

• Benchmark assessments to inform instruction;

• Value added analyses to measure growth; and,

• Other new ways of using assessments for improvement.

The Education Trust

For More Information . . .www.edtrust.org202-293-1217

Politics, Policy and Improving Schools

Documents

Transcript of Politics, Policy and Improving Schools

Improving behaviour in schools

D6.2.1 politics presentation to schools and politicians

Improving Schools by School-based Management

Improving Nutrition Environments in California Charter Schools

D6.2.1presentation politics schools and politicians_erasmo

Improving All Schools

Improving Our Visibility In Schools | Flock 2015

The Politics of Poverty: Elites, Citizens and StatesCONTENTS The Politics of Poverty: Elites, Citizens, and States Chapter 7 Improving Public Services 7.1 Improving Public Services

Improving Child Nutrition in Charleston County Schools

GoveRnment anD PolitiCS - Greeley Schools€¦ · Government and Politics Comparative Government and Politics United States Government and Politics History European History United

Improving High Schools: A Strategic Approach

Office Politics - Improving Public Sector Property Management · PDF fileOffice politics Improving public sector property management 1 Foreword When John Locke said there exists a

Improving the dining experience in schools

Improving Student Outcomes in Southeast Schools

academics.wellesley.edu › Economics › mcewan › PDF › meta.pdf Improving Learning in Primary Schools of Developing ...Improving Learning in Primary Schools of Developing Countries:

Boston Public Schools' "Improving School Choice"

IMPROVING ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS …

Black boys thoughts on improving schools

Improving behaviour in schools report - EEF

Hobbes's Practical Politics - University of Manchesterhummedia.manchester.ac.uk/schools/soss/politics/research/working... · Hobbes’s Practical Politics Adrian Blau Lecturer in