News

States Falter in Providing Affordable College Opportunities 
SAN JOSE (December 3, 2008) - States are making little or no progress in providing affordable college opportunities or improving college completion rates for their residents, says a report released today by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. Drawing on nearly two decades of data, the report, Measuring Up 2008, finds that while states have made modest gains in preparing students for college, more students are failing to graduate from high school. The report also notes that the burden of paying for college is now higher for students in every state, and low college completion rates have barely improved. Additionally, disparities persist in college access and success by income, race and ethnicity, and state. Learn more

Fourteen States Plan to Link End-of-Course Exams To High School Graduation by 2015
WASHINGTON (August 13, 2008) – In its seventh annual report on high school exit exams, the Center on Education Policy (CEP) finds that exit exams continue to have a significant impact on American education. The report, State High School Exit Exams: A Move Toward End-of-Course Exams, found that only one state (Washington) has added a state-mandated exit exam since 2007 and three more states (Arkansas, Maryland, and Oklahoma) will do so by 2012. The impact of exit exams is most striking for students of color. Today, 75 percent of students of color attend public schools in states that require exit exams to graduate; that percentage will rise to 84 percent by 2012. Learn more

PDK/Gallup Poll: Obama More Supportive of Public Schools
BLOOMINGTON, I.N. (August 21, 2008) – For the first time in eight years, Americans view one presidential candidate as more supportive of public schools than the other, according to the 40th annual PDK/Gallup Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward Their Public Schools. When asked this year who they would vote for if they were voting on the basis of a desire to strengthen the public schools, 46 percent chose Democratic candidate Barack Obama and 29 percent chose Republican candidate John McCain. The poll also shows that many Americans feel U.S. students and schools are outperformed by other nations. Learn more

National Survey Reveals What It Will Take to Lure Talented Career Changers into America’s Classrooms
PRINCETON, N.J. (September 10, 2008) – – Career changers may be one of the nation’s best hopes to fill an anticipated 1.5 million teaching vacancies over the next decade, according to a new national survey released today by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation and funded by the MetLife Foundation. The survey, Teaching as a Second Career, finds that 42 percent of college-educated Americans aged 24 to 60 would consider becoming a teacher. Findings indicate that more people would consider teaching as a second career if starting salaries were raised to $50,000 and if career changers could receive quality training and support. Learn more

Rising Gas Prices, Economic Woes Displace Education as Public’s Top Concern
WASHINGTON (June 25, 2008) – Research shows that communities and families make a significant difference in the health, vitality, and performance of their public schools. When schools, families, and community groups work together to support learning, children tend to do better in school, stay in school longer, and enjoy school more. A national poll and "Civic Index for Quality Public Education," released today by Public Education Network (PEN) and funded by MetLife Foundation, sheds new light on the public's views on school progress, politicians' commitment to education, and the strength of their community's commitment to helping improve education. The poll reveals that even when other issues, such as rising prices at the gas pump and job losses, are seizing the day, Americans still care about education. Learn more

State Test Scores in Reading and Mathematics Continue To Increase, Achievement Gaps Narrow
WASHINGTON (June 24, 2008) – Student scores on state tests of reading and mathematics have risen since 2002, and achievement gaps between various groups of students have narrowed more often than they have widened, according to the most comprehensive and rigorous recent analysis of state test scores. These improvements have occurred during a period when the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), state education reforms, and local school improvement efforts have focused on raising test scores and narrowing achievement gaps. The report, Has Student Achievement Increased Since 2002?: State Test Score Trends Through 2006-07, was released today by the nonpartisan Center on Education Policy (CEP). It analyzes state test data from all 50 states as well as trends through 2007 on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the only federally administered assessment of reading and math achievement. Learn more

Making Waves Graduates 42 Seniors Who Earned 200 Acceptances to 4-Year Colleges
RICHMOND (June 20, 2008) – Making Waves, the student academic intervention and charter school program that boasts one of the highest success rates for low-income students in the nation, held its graduation ceremony on Friday, June 20. Nearly 9 in 10 students (88 percent) of this year’s graduating class gained acceptance to four-year institutions for Fall of 2008; 47 percent were accepted to campuses in the University of California system, which accepts the top 12 percent of students in the State.  At the ceremony, Making Waves received Senator Barbara Boxer’s “Excellence in Education Award,” one of only two awarded this year.  For nearly 20 years, Making Waves has graduated 99 percent of its students from high school and sent 95 percent of its graduates to college. Sixty-one percent of all students in the first cohort have graduated from four-year colleges and universities.

Successful Practices at 12 Top-Ranked Hispanic-Serving Institutions Provide Lessons On What U.S. Colleges and Universities Can Do To Bolster Results for Latino Students
WASHINGTON (June 18, 2008) – As Latino representation in higher education continues to increase across all states and institution types, Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs)—public or private nonprofit degree-granting colleges with 25 percent or more Hispanic undergraduate enrollment—provide a valuable laboratory to study practices that help improve Latino access, retention, and academic success. A new report by the Washington, D.C.-based higher education policy group, Excelencia in Education, reveals that it is no accident that some institutions have high Latino enrollments and degree production. The report, Modeling Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs): Campus Practices that Work for Latino Students, focuses on 12 institutions—six community colleges and six public universities—in three states that are among the nation’s leaders in Latino enrollment and degree completion. Learn more

New Report Finds National Board Certification Leads to Improved Student Achievement; Contributes to Keeping Teachers in the Profession
WASHINGTON (June 11, 2008) The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) has had a positive impact on student achievement, teacher retention, and professional development, according to the most rigorous and comprehensive study to date of National Board Certification. The long-awaited report, released today by the highly respected National Research Council (NRC), affirms many of the positive findings by other research into National Board Certification. According to Assessing Accomplished Teaching: Advanced-Level Certification Programs, National Board Standards and National Board Certification have taken the culture of teaching to a higher level by creating national standards for the profession. The report found that students taught by NBCTs make higher gains on achievement tests than those taught by teachers who have not applied and those who did not achieve certification. Learn more

Rural Schools Fare Well Under No Child Left Behind, Struggle with Highly Qualified Teacher Requirements
WASHINGTON (June 10, 2008) —While considerable policy research has spotlighted the impact of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) on urban schools, less attention has been paid specifically to the experiences of rural schools and school districts as they implement the Act. A new report by the Center on Education Policy (CEP) examines the impact of NCLB on student achievement and teacher quality in some rural districts and the challenges those rural districts face in complying with the Act. It also analyzes differences in responses to NCLB between rural districts and urban or suburban districts (sometimes combined into a “non-rural” category). Some Perspectives From Rural School Districts on the No Child Left Behind Act finds that many rural districts have aligned curricula and begun focusing more on individualized instruction. However, achievement gaps still exist in these districts and many struggle to comply with the Highly Qualified Teacher requirements of No Child Left Behind, especially for high school math and science teachers. Learn more

1.23 Million Students Will Fail to Graduate in 2008; New Data on U.S. Congressional Districts Detail Graduation Gaps
WASHINGTON (June 4, 2008) For today’s high school graduates, postsecondary education and training have become virtual necessities for a successful adult life.  Yet conflicting signals about what it takes to do college-level work create confusion and significant hurdles for many students, according to a report released today by Education Week. The report, Diplomas Count 2008: School to College: Can State P-16 Councils Ease the Transition?, explores the rapid growth of and challenges faced by state-level P-16 councils, which seek to better align educational institutions from preschool through postsecondary by bringing together key representatives from all levels of education, state government, business, and the community. The report also includes the latest analysis by the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center of graduation rates nationwide, finding that an estimated 1.23 million students, or almost 30 percent of the class of 2008, will fail to graduate with their peers. In addition, a new analysis conducted for Diplomas Count reports graduation rates for each U.S. congressional district. Learn more

States Are Expanding Dual Enrollment Policies To Reach Under-Served Populations, Increase College Success
BOSTON (May 29, 2008) — Dual enrollment is no longer just for gifted and talented high school students hoping to get a head start on college, according to a new report by Jobs for the Future (JFF). The report reviews trends in a growing number of states that see dual enrollment as a way to expand college opportunity—particularly for students who might not be considered college-bound. The report, On Ramp to College: A State Policymaker’s Guide to Dual Enrollment, shows how dual enrollment can serve as an “on ramp” to postsecondary education for students who are otherwise unlikely to attend college. The report also highlights examples of successful state-wide dual enrollment efforts and provides a step-by-step plan for policymakers to create successful programs and policies and to assess their current approaches. Learn more

State Action Urged to Help Raise Graduation Rates, Better Prepare Students in Struggling Schools
BOSTON (May 22, 2008) — Even as the nation’s high school graduation rate remains flat and too many students drop out, most states are failing to take actions to reverse this troubling pattern and in turn help more students attend and succeed in college. The report released today by Jobs for the Future (JFF) gives state policymakers a detailed framework for helping all students persevere and succeed in and beyond high school. It also highlights more than 20 states and school districts that are already raising standards and graduation rates. The report, Raising Graduation Rates in an Era of High Standards: Five Commitments for State Action, calls on states to exercise crucial leadership, especially for low-income students, who are more likely than their more affluent peers to drop out of high school or be unprepared for college and work. Learn more

Study of Higher Education Finance Trends Reveals that Growth in College Spending Is Not Being Directed Where It Is Needed Most
WASHINGTON (May 1, 2008) – While the public and policymakers have been urging higher education to better containing costs, few experts inside or outside of academia have had access to useful data to better understand why costs are rising or how money is spent. A new report released today by the Delta Cost Project provides the first look in more than a decade on where the money is going. The report explores nearly 20 years of data on enrollment, revenue, and spending, and uncovers some troubling trends. The Growing Imbalance: Recent Trends in U.S. Postsecondary Finance reveals that while spending is up across all types of institutions, spending on student instruction is growing at a slow pace compared to other areas. Meanwhile, though enrollments have increased, most of the enrollment growth is focused on institutions with the least resources to invest in students’ success. The study also shows that college completion and degree attainment has grown much more modestly than needed… Learn More

Calling Federal Role in Education “Inconsistent and Shortsighted,” Education Innovators Propose Alternative Agenda
WASHINGTON (April 23, 2008) – Federal education policy is “inconsistent and shortsighted,” despite 25 years of education reform sparked by the release of A Nation at Risk – and that has left the United States further behind than it was in 1983. A report released today by the Forum for Education and Democracy says that we need to transform the federal role in education to meet longstanding student achievement and equity goals. This new role should include fully funding federal commitments to low-income students, investing in a “Marshall plan” for teachers and school leaders, refocusing research on educators’ needs, and deepening community ties to their schools. The report, Democracy at Risk: The Need for a New Federal Policy in Education, was written by prominent educators and policy experts who have launched effective alternative schools, charter schools, and school improvement networks. The report is intended to be a road map for federal policy, to guide a new president, secretary of education, and Congress as they debate the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. It builds on lessons learned from other nations and innovative schools created by local educators and community members… Learn More

Number of Michigan Schools in Restructuring Increases as More High Schools Missing AYP Targets
WASHINGTON (April 23, 2008) – The number of Michigan schools in restructuring rose for the 2007-08 school year as a greater number of high schools failed to meet passing marks on a new and more rigorous state-mandated high school test, according to a new report from the Washington, D.C.-based Center on Education Policy (CEP). The CEP study found that the state has refined restructuring strategies to provide more-targeted assistance, ending what had been a smorgasbord of choices. The report, The Sit-Down Dinner: Formalizing Restructuring Under the No Child Left Behind Act in Michigan, also finds that more than half of the schools in restructuring (34) recently entered the planning phase, with the majority (27) of these being high schools. If not for these high schools, the number of Michigan schools in restructuring would again have declined… Learn More

Writing Skills Improve for Eighth- & 12th-Graders, According to The Nation’s Report Card™
WASHINGTON (April 3, 2008) – Achievement in writing for the nation’s eighth- and 12th-graders is up among many student groups, according to The Nation’s Report Card™, which presents results at the national level, for most states, and for 10 large urban school districts. Since 2002, the percentage of students performing at or above the Basic level of achievement has risen in both grades, increasing from 85 to 88 percent at eighth grade and from 74 to 82 percent at 12th grade. Most student groups have improved their writing scores since 2002, including White and Black students in both grades and Hispanic students in eighth grade. In addition, many of the largest gains in 2007 were made by lower- and middle-performing students in both grades who scored at the 10th, 25th, and 50th percentiles... Learn More

INTEL Chairman Barrett to Lead Achieve Board
WASHINGTON (April 3, 2008) – Intel chairman Craig R. Barrett will co-chair the board of directors of Achieve, Inc., the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit announced today. Barrett, an outspoken advocate for improving U.S. education, succeeds Arthur Ryan, retiring chairman of Prudential Financial, Inc. During Ryan's tenure, in 2005, Achieve launched the American Diploma Project (ADP) Network when 13 states committed to ensuring that all high school graduates are ready for college and career. Today the ADP network has grown to 32 states... Learn More

With an Eye on the Economy, States Target ‘STEM’ Education, But Student Performance Gives Grounds for Concern  
WASHINGTON (March 26, 2008) – Though states have ratcheted up their expectations for pre-collegiate education in the so-called STEM fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, their efforts have yet to yield top-notch performance in those subject areas, according to Education Week’s 11th annual report on educational technology. Technology Counts 2008: STEM: The Push to Improve Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics details efforts under way to address the issue, but also finds troubling gaps in math and science performance among states and demographic groups, as well as unequal access to educational technology. The report, a joint project by Education Week and the Editorial Projects in Education (EPE) Research Center, also features the center’s annual state survey on educational technology and grades the 50 states and the District of Columbia on their technology leadership... Learn More

Commitment Growing to Close Expectations Gap
WASHINGTON (February 20, 2008) – While a majority of states have committed to raise expectations for high school students, more than one-third have already adopted college- and career-ready standards and graduation requirements, according to a report from the Washington, D.C.-based Achieve, Inc. According to the third annual report from Achieve, Closing the Expectations Gap 2008, states have made the most progress in aligning academic standards and raising graduation requirements, but have moved more slowly on putting complementary tests, data, and accountability systems into place... Learn More

Report Card Grades States on Education Performance, Policy; Gives Low Marks on Efforts to Improve Teaching
WASHINGTON (January 9, 2008) – Education Week launched a new report card today, grading the states across six areas of education performance and policy. While the U.S. posted a grade of C overall, the average state earned a D-plus on public school achievement, the poorest showing of any graded category. Marks were also low for state efforts to improve teaching, where 10 states earned a grade of D or lower. In addition, a new analysis finds that the average U.S. public school teacher makes only 88 cents for every dollar earned by individuals in 16 comparable professions, such as accountants, architects, occupational therapists, and registered nurses. The analysis is included in the report, Quality Counts 2008: Tapping Into Teaching, Unlocking the Key to Student Success, by the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center.

States, Foundations Launch Woodrow Wilson Fellowships To Improve Teacher Preparation and Recruitment
PRINCETON, N.J. (Dec. 19, 2007) – To help overhaul teacher education and encourage some of the nation’s most talented college graduates to seek long-term teaching careers in high-need classrooms, the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation launched today an unprecedented teaching fellowship program at the state and national levels funded initially at $17 million by leading philanthropies. The Foundation’s 50-state fellowship strategy will begin in Indiana, where Fellows will receive a $30,000 stipend to complete a year-long master’s program and must teach math and science in high-need schools in Indiana for three years. Lilly Endowment Inc. is providing $10 million to launch the program, which is being announced today at a news conference with Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels. Ohio and other states are expected to launch Woodrow Wilson programs beginning next year. Initially the Indiana fellowship program will prepare 80 new math and science teachers for the state each year—roughly one-quarter of the total number of Indiana teachers now being prepared in those fields—with aspirations to scale up to 400 per year.
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New Compendium Highlights Innovative Efforts to Improve Outcomes and Reduce Costs in Higher Education
WASHINGTON (November 28, 2007) – The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education and the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems today released Good Policy, Good Practice, a compendium highlighting policies and programs from states and college campuses nationwide that have taken significant steps to increase degree production and student learning while containing costs. The report was prepared as part of the Making Opportunity Affordable initiative, supported by Lumina Foundation for Education.
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Making Opportunity Affordable Releases State-By-State Profiles of College Access and Attainment Challenges
WASHINGTON (November 21, 2007) – The Making Opportunity Affordable initiative, supported by Lumina Foundation for Education, today released Adding It Up, a state-by-state compendium of key indicators related to college access and success. The state profiles include new data indicating where states stand relative to U.S. averages and top-performing nations in the percentage of adults ages 25-64 who have a college degree. The data, prepared by the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS), indicate that most states face significant gaps in degree attainment with top-performing nations that are expected to widen.
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Urban Districts Gain in NAEP Math, But Progress in Reading is Mixed, According to The Nation’s Report Card
WASHINGTON (November 15, 2007) – Most of the 11 big-city school districts taking part in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) continue to gain in mathematics, but progress in reading is mixed, according to The Nation’s Report Card™. Overall, the districts participating in the Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) perform about as well as large central cities throughout the nation. The performance of their low-income and minority students is generally comparable to or better than that of similar students nationwide. The districts are Atlanta; Austin, Texas; Boston; Charlotte, N.C.; Chicago; Cleveland; Houston; Los Angeles; New York City; San Diego; and Washington, D.C.
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Report Highlights Challenges for English Language Learners on Arizona’s High School Exit Exams
PHOENIX (November 13, 2007) – On the first try, about three-quarters of all Arizona students pass the state’s high school exit exam in reading/language arts. Meanwhile, about two-thirds of all students pass the exit exams in writing and math. But Arizona’s English language learners (ELL) – a wide-ranging group of students whose native language is not English – pass these tests in far fewer numbers, according to a report prepared by the Washington, D.C.-based Center on Education Policy. Only about 12 percent of ELLs pass the state’s reading and writing exit exams on the first try, while 20 percent pass the math exam, making ELLs the student group most likely to fail the exit exams on their first try.
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Despite Scandals, States & Districts Credit Reading First for Gains in Student Achievement
WASHINGTON (October 31, 2007) – Reading First, the billion-dollar federal effort to improve reading skills in high-poverty, low-performing schools, has been beset by scandals involving mismanagement and misconduct at the national level. Still, a new report finds that the program is being implemented as intended, and is widely credited by state and local officials for lifting achievement of students who receive Reading First services. The report, prepared by the Washington, D.C.-based Center on Education Policy, is based on surveys of officials in all 50 states and a nationally-representative sample of school districts, as well as school district case studies. Overall, more than three-fourths of states and two-thirds of districts with Reading First grants reported that the program’s assessment and instructional programs were important causes of gains in student achievement.
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Low Income Students Now a Majority in South’s Public Schools
ATLANTA (October 30, 2007) – For the first time in more than 40 years, low income children today constitute a majority of the students in the public schools of the South. According to a research report released by the Southern Education Foundation (SEF) in Atlanta, public schools in the region have enrolled a majority of low income students in each of the last three years (2004-2006) and today the South is the only region in the nation where low income students are 50 percent or more of public school enrollment. SEF’s report finds that in 2006 – the school year beginning in the fall of 2006 and ending in the summer of 2007 – low income students were 54 percent of the 15-state South’s public school enrollment, while the percentage in the rest of the nation stood at 41 percent.
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Public High School Students Do As Well As Private School Students, Report Finds
WASHINGTON (October 10, 2007) – Contradicting decades of research, a new report finds that, once family background characteristics are taken into account, low-income students attending public urban high schools generally performed as well academically as students attending private high schools. The report, issued by the Washington, D.C.-based Center on Education Policy (CEP), also found that the students at public high schools are as likely to attend college as those attending private high schools. According to the report, students attending independent private high schools, most types of parochial high schools, and public high schools of choice performed no better on achievement tests in math, reading, science, and history than students attending traditional public high schools. The report also finds that young adults who had attended any type of private high school were no more likely to enjoy job satisfaction or to be engaged in civic activities at age 26 than those who had attended traditional public high schools.
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Programs That Boost College Success for Latino Students
Are Honored as 2007 “Examples of Excelencia”
LOS ANGELES (October 9, 2007) – Three programs at institutions of higher education – two in California and one in Texas – have been selected as “Examples of Excelencia“ (examples of excellence) in anational campaign to identify and honor programs and departments boosting Latino college enrollment, performance and graduation. The winning programs were announced by Excelencia in Education, the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that administers the program and works to accelerate higher education success for Latino students. From California, the Enlace Program at Evergreen Valley College in San Jose and the Compact for Success at San Diego State University were honored as winners, along with the Psychological Services for Spanish Speaking Populations (PSSSP) Certificate program at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, Texas.
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No Child Left Behind’s ‘Proficiency Illusion’
WASHINGTON (October 4, 2007) – The tests states use to measure academic progress and student proficiency under the No Child Left Behind Act are creating a false impression of success, especially in reading and especially in the early grades, concludes a major new study by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute and the Northwest Evaluation Association. Analysts found that states are aiming particularly low when it comes to their expectations for younger children, setting elementary students up to fail as they progress through their academic careers.
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U.S. Students Show Progress in Math and Reading, According to 2007 Nation’s Report Card™
WASHINGTON (September 25, 2007) – Overall, student achievement in mathematics and reading in the United States is on the rise, according to results from The 2007 Nation’s Report Card™, with some of the larger gains made by the nation’s minority students. Two reports released today, The Nation’s Report Card™: Mathematics 2007 and The Nation’s Report Card™: Reading 2007, detail the achievement of 4th- and 8th-graders on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), administered by the U.S. Department of Education earlier this year.
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High School Exit Exams Not Used To Gauge College or Work-Readiness in Most States
WASHINGTON (September 6, 2007) – Sixty-five percent of the nation’s public high school students must pass an exit exam in order to receive a diploma. But doing well on that test does not necessarily mean that a student is ready for the demands of college and work, according to a report released today by the independent, Washington, D.C.-based Center on Education Policy. Of the 23 states with exit exams that responded to this question, only six say that the purpose of the test is to measure the knowledge and skills needed for college-readiness, while nine indicate work-readiness as a purpose. In contrast, 18 states say that the tests—which are generally aligned to the 10th-grade level—are intended to determine mastery of the state curriculum. And 18 states say that the exams are used to provide data to state policymakers on student progress toward state education goals to inform policy decisions.
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Two Years after Hurricane Katrina, Massive Educational Problems Remain
WASHINGTON (August 29, 2007) – As many as 15,000 K-12 public school students and 35,000 college students in Louisiana and Mississippi missed school last year due to lingering problems in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, according to a report issued today by the Atlanta-based Southern Education Foundation (SEF). The report calls for “a new federal response” to restore struggling educational institutions on the Gulf Coast and to assist students whose education remains disrupted by the storms, finding the federal response to Katrina-related education problems “inadequate” in every area—from preschool to higher education. In fact, foreign nations have supplied $131 million for rebuilding and restoring higher education in Louisiana – virtually the same amount that the federal government has provided for this purpose.
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Majority of State & District Officials Say NCLB’s Teacher Quality Requirements Have Had Little Impact on Student Achievement
WASHINGTON (August 22, 2007) – While most of the nation’s school districts – about 83 percent – report that they are on track to be in full compliance with the No Child Left Behind Act’s “highly qualified” teacher requirements, more than half of states and two-thirds of school districts report that the requirements have had little impact on student achievement, according to a new study from the Washington, D.C.-based Center on Education Policy. More than half of all states and two-thirds (66 percent) of districts reported that the requirements have improved student achievement minimally or not at all. Only 6 percent of states and 4 percent of districts indicated that the requirements have improved achievement to a great extent. In addition, 19 states (38 percent) and almost three-quarters (74 percent) of districts say NCLB’s requirements have had a minimal or nonexistent impact on the effectiveness of the teacher workforce.
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Citing Cost & Location, Half of All Latino College Students Attend “Hispanic-Serving Institutions”
AUSTIN, TEXAS (August 17, 2007) – About half of all Latino undergraduates in 2003-04 chose to enroll in the 6 percent of institutions of higher education known as Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). However, most of these students don’t realize they have enrolled at a Hispanic serving college and few Latinos attending HSIs base their enrollment decisions on campus classification, according to new research from the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit Excelencia in Education. In fact, by emphasizing college costs, proximity, and accessibility when selecting a college or university, Latino students have been responsible for creating the 236 HSIs in the United States, which, by definition, enroll at least 25 percent undergraduate Hispanic full-time students.
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Flat Funding Means that Most States Cannot Reserve the Full Amount for School Improvement Under No Child Left Behind, Report Finds
WASHINGTON (August 15, 2007) – With Title I funding streams remaining essentially flat over the last two years, a majority of states appear unable to reserve the full amount of funds required for school improvement efforts under the No Child Left Behind Act, according to a report from the independent, Washington, D.C.-based Center on Education Policy (CEP). The report, which analyzes 2007-08 Title I, Part A allocations from the U.S. Department of Education, also finds that the level of Title I funding received by some states and school districts is extremely volatile, due to updated calculations made each year under the law’s funding formulas. In fact, three states will not be able to reserve any funds for school improvement, while 26 additional states will be unable to reserve the full amount. Of these states, 22 were also unable to reserve the full funding amount in 2006-07.
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About Four Out of 10 U.S. 12th-Graders Are Proficient in Economics, According to The Nation’s Report Card™
WASHINGTON (August 8, 2007) – About four out of 10 U.S. 12th-graders – 42 percent – reached the Proficient level on a national economics assessment, according to The Nation’s Report Card™. About eight out of 10 12th-graders – 79 percent – scored at or above the Basic achievement level and 3 percent reached the Advanced level. The results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) are presented in The Nation’s Report Card: Economics 2006, which details student achievement on the first-ever NAEP exam in the subject.

Report Calls for More Productive Financial-Aid Policies and Better Support To Help Nation’s Working Poor Earn Degrees, Meet Work Force Needs
WASHINGTON (July 10, 2007) – Today, earning a postsecondary degree is the best bet the nation’s nearly 20 million working poor individuals ages 24–64 have to earn a living wage. But according to a major new report – College Access for the Working Poor: Overcoming Burdens to Succeed in Higher Education – by the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) with financial support from USA Funds, gaining a postsecondary education requires that these students navigate a minefield of conflicting work and family demands, as well as confusing financial-aid policies that can penalize students for earning wages...
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More Than 1.2 Million Students Will Not Graduate in 2007; Detailed Graduation Data Available for Every U.S. District and State
WASHINGTON (June 12, 2007) – Today’s high school graduates enter a world in which they’ll need at least some college to gain access to decent-paying careers, according to a report released today by Education Week. The report, Diplomas Count: Ready for What? Preparing for College, Careers, and Life After High School, draws on two national databases to examine the distribution of jobs nationally and within each state, and the relationship between education and pay levels. The report also includes the latest analysis by the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center of graduation rates nationwide, finding that an estimated 1.23 million students, or about 30 percent of the class of 2007, will fail to graduate with their peers...
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Student Achievement in Reading and Mathematics Has Increased Overall Since Passage of the No Child Left Behind Act
WASHINGTON (June 5, 2007) – Student achievement in reading and math has increased since the No Child Left Behind Act was enacted in 2002, according to the most comprehensive and thorough study to date of the results of state tests administered as part of the landmark federal education law. In addition, the number of states in which achievement gaps have narrowed far exceeds the number of states in which gaps widened since 2002, according to Answering the Question that Matters Most: Has Student Achievement Increased Since No Child Left Behind?, a report from the Washington, D.C.-based Center on Education Policy (CEP)...
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Higher Education More Important Than Ever To Americans, But Record Numbers Fear That Costs May Prevent Access For Many Qualified Students
WASHINGTON (May 31, 2007) – Americans believe that higher education is key to a successful future, and the vast majority also say that costs should not prevent qualified students from attending college, according to a national survey on college quality, affordability, and access. But the survey – conducted by Public Agenda and the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education – also reveals widespread concern that the opportunity to go to college may not be available to all qualified students. In addition, nearly two-thirds of parents of high school students – 64 percent – do not believe that rapidly escalating costs are leading to more learning on campus...
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Elementary Students Make Significant Gains In U.S. History and Civics, According to The Nation's Report Card™
BOSTON (May 16, 2007) – America's elementary school students have made significant gains in U.S. history and civics, according to results from The Nation's Report Card™, continuing a trend shown in other academic subjects. Eighth- and 12th-graders improved in U.S. history, but showed no change in civics. The two reports released today – The Nation's Report Card: U.S. History 2006 and The Nation's Report Card: Civics 2006 – offer new data on the achievement of America's fourth-, eighth- and 12th-graders on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in U.S. history, which was last assessed in 2001, and civics, last assessed in 1998...
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Debate on Higher Education Financial Aid Policy Misses Point: Current System Is Inadequate for 21st Century Needs
WASHINGTON (May 15, 2007) – Policymakers will fail to resolve the major challenges threatening our higher education finance system if they continue to focus only on recent controversies in the college loan industry. Instead, two new publications reveal these incidents as symptoms of a larger issue: Our financial aid is outdated and cannot meet the needs of today's families and the rapidly changing student loan industry. Fredrick M. Hess, scholar and director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, edited the policy brief, Paying the Tuition Bill: There Must be a Better Way, and edited the Paying the Tuition Bill, a book detailing the history, current trends, and future choices of the nation's federal financial aid policy...
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Vast Majority of Doctoral Programs in Education Not Sufficient For Preparing Researchers or Guiding School Improvement
PRINCETON, N.J. (May 7, 2007) – As policymakers and opinion leaders increasingly rely on education research to shape reforms, a comprehensive new study finds that education research and the programs that prepare education researchers are inadequate due to insufficient standards, rigor, and support. These shortcomings threaten to further marginalize education schools, whose contributions to research are already being questioned within and outside the academy, often because of low standards of evidence and ideological bias. The report – written by Arthur Levine, president of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation and president emeritus of Teachers College, Columbia University – is the third in a series written by Levine for the Education Schools Project, which has also investigated the quality of the programs that prepare the nation's teachers and school leaders...
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Stanford Report Outlines Common Elements of Highly Effective School Principal Training and Development Programs
WASHINGTON (April 20, 2007) – Since the early 1990s, the training of school principals has been widely criticized as inadequate. Yet, hard evidence on the kind of training and development that leaders need to help schools and students succeed has been in short supply. Stanford University researchers and The Wallace Foundation released a new report that identifies the key features of effective programs. The report – Preparing School Leaders for a Changing World: Lessons from Exemplary Leadership Development Programs – provides a guide for school district leaders and state policymakers to reinvent how school principals are prepared for their demanding jobs…
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States Make Significant Progress in High School Reform Efforts
WASHINGTON (April 18, 2007) – One-quarter of all states have implemented significantly tougher graduation requirements, and virtually every state has taken steps to ratchet up expectations for high school students, according to a national survey of high school reform efforts conducted by Washington, D.C.-based Achieve, Inc. The survey, Closing the Expectations Gap 2007, updates the efforts of all 50 states to align their high school standards, graduation requirements, assessments, and accountability systems with the demands of college and work, and finds that at least 48 states are now actively engaged in reform efforts of some kind…
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Abstinence Education Programs Have No Effect on Sexual Behavior of Youth
PRINCETON, N.J. (April 13, 2007) – At a time when nearly two thirds of all students nationwide report having had sex by the time they graduate from high school, a recent evaluation of abstinence programs finds that four well-known programs had no impact on the rates of sexual abstinence among participants compared with nonparticipating students. The study, conducted for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services by Mathematica Policy Research, Inc, was authorized by Congress in 1997 to evaluate the effectiveness of programs funded under Title V, Section 510 of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. Nationwide, more than 700 Title V, Section 510 programs receive up to $50 million annually for programs that teach abstinence from sexual activity outside of marriage. Additional funding from state matching block grants brings annual spending for Title V, Section 510 sexual abstinence education programs to $87.5 million…
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