Recent studies show that the demographic characteristics of teachers can impact student achievement. These findings point to the need for more female teachers in science and mathematics, as well as more ethnic minority educators. More than three-quarters of U.S. public school teachers are female. So it’s a bit surprising to hear an argument that there Read more about Diversity Issues in Teaching[…]
The U.S. is on track for a 90 percent high school graduation rate by 2020 after hitting a record high 81 percent this year. That’s according to the GradNation campaign’s sixth annual report released by America’s Promise Alliance, the Alliance for Excellent Education and others. The 10 largest states, including California, Florida, Georgia and North Read more about Progress and Ongoing Challenges: the American Graduation Rate[…]
About 39 million people ages 16 to 29 across the globe were not employed and were not participating in any kind of education or training in 2013. That’s 5 million more than before the economic crisis of 2008, a new OECD report stresses, and 2014 predictions don’t look much better. In many cases, these young Read more about OECD Report on Youth Unemployment[…]
When President George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act into law in 2002, the U.S. national high school graduation rate was 72.6 percent. Today, the national high school graduation rate has reached an all-time high of 81 percent and the number of low-graduation-rate high schools has declined considerably. While this progress is Read more about Never too Late: Why ESEA must fill the Missing Middle[…]
On Thursday, May 28, Acting Commissioner Peggy G. Carr, National Center for Education Statistics, released The Condition of Education 2015. The indicators presented in The Condition of Education 2015 provide an update on the state of education in America and include findings on the demographics of American schools, U.S. resources for schooling, and outcomes associated Read more about NCES Releases The Condition of Education 2015[…]
School districts that serve the highest percentages of low-income students and students of color receive significantly less in local and state funding than districts that serve predominantly white and affluent students, according to a new report from the Education Trust (Ed Trust) and a separate analysis by the U.S. Department of Education (ED). And that Read more about Funding Gaps 2015: Widening Funding Gap Between School Districts[…]
For decades now, education researchers have discussed the fact that girls tend to do worse in math (and to a lesser but still significant degree, science) than do boys. As follows, girls also tend to go into math and science related fields less often than do boys. This has been known by researchers for decades, Read more about Gender Gap in Education Cuts both Ways[…]
Jane Best and Emily Winslow at McREL Education have released a new brief focusing on current challenges of working toward equity in education. Particularly in a post Vergara vs. California education climate, educator equity and how to effectively distribute teachers to all students it is an issue on education professionals’ minds. With increasingly diverse student populations, Read more about Educational Equity: Challenges for Educator Effectiveness[…]
Marc Tucker has some focused suggestions for those who truly want to use education to bridge income gaps and increase social mobility. This week on Top Performers: public schools were once the engines of social and economic mobility in the U.S., but that is no longer the case. In fact, the very design of our Read more about Inequality and Education[…]
James S. Murphy of Princeton Review, writing for The Atlantic, recently penned an article about the new SAT based on new sample questions which the College Board released. Murphy is encouraged by the changes that the SAT is making away from its obscure vocabulary focus and away from abstract essays, but he is less than Read more about New SAT, New Problems[…]
Low income students are now a majority of the schoolchildren attending the nation’s public schools, according to a research bulletin issued today by the Southern Education Foundation (SEF). The latest data collected from the states by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) show that 51 percent of the students across the nation’s public schools Read more about A New Majority: Low Income Students Now a Majority in the Nation’s Public Schools[…]
The Education Department has ordered every state to develop strategies for ensuring that poor and minority students get their fair share of top teachers; the plans must be submitted by June 1. In the meantime, the department is highlighting the inequities states are working to solve. Newly published “Educator Equity Profiles” for every state and Read more about ED Publishes Educator Equity Profiles of States[…]
A report out recently from The Education Trust follows the true story of a student named Cornelius, from the day he started kindergarten to the day he dropped out of school. He went from learning to love reading as a child to feeling alienated in high school, struggling to complete his work and receiving out-of-school Read more about Education Trust on Helping Marginalized Students[…]
Recently, the U.S. Department of Education released the FAQ guidance for states as they develop plans to ensure equitable access to excellent educators for students from low-income families and students of color. The Center on Great Teachers and Leaders (GTL Center) is pleased to launch the Equitable Access Toolkit to support states in this work. Read more about Equitable Access Toolkit to Guide State Educator Equity Planning[…]
For the first time in American history, a majority of students in public school this year are students of color. According to projections from the National Center for Education Statistics, 49.7 percent of students entering public schools this year are white, compared to 50.3 percent of students who identify as black, Hispanic, Asian or another Read more about Shifting Demographics in American Schools[…]
All students-regardless of race, color, national origin or zip code-deserve a high-quality education that includes resources such as academic and extracurricular programs, strong teaching, technology and instructional materials, and safe school facilities. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced guidance, in the form of a Dear Colleague letter to states, school districts and schools to Read more about ED: Guidance to Ensure All Students Have Equal Access to Educational Resources[…]