Press Releases and Statements

Democrats For Education Reform and The Education Trust: ESEA reauthorization must be done right

WASHINGTON (March 9, 2011) – While we, like Secretary Duncan, believe that the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) should be reauthorized this year, we also believe that getting it done right is as important as getting it done fast.

We have grave concerns about the methodology used by the U.S. Department of Education to estimate the percentage of schools that will, in the next few years, fall short of making AYP. We would urge the department to be far more careful with data in the future. But that’s not the main issue here.

  • Read more
  • Share this

Center for American Progress, The Education Trust urge strong teacher provisions for ESEA

WASHINGTON (February 23, 2011) – Today, the Center for American Progress, or CAP, and The Education Trust released joint recommendations to strengthen the teacher provisions of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act, or ESEA. 

The performance evaluation systems used in virtually every school system in the United States fail to differentiate between individual teachers who boost student learning and those who need to improve. As a result, the students who need the most from their teachers are far less likely to get the ones who can help them achieve at high levels.

Kati Haycock, president of The Education Trust, on "Pathways to Prosperity"

WASHINGTON (February 2, 2011) – The authors of “Pathways to Prosperity” have long track records of caring a lot about our kids and our future. They are right to be concerned – as I am – about high dropout rates and low student achievement in our nation’s schools. With results as awful as they are in far too many high schools, we certainly ought to be encouraging innovative approaches to improving student learning, ensuring that all students are well prepared for college and the workplace.

That said, while I agree that all students could benefit from more exposure to the world of work, I vehemently disagree with the authors’ main argument: that we already tried preparing all students for college and it didn't work.

Statement from The Education Trust on the 2009 NAEP science results

WASHINGTON (January 25, 2011) -- Tonight, President Obama’s State of the Union address will focus on the need to revive our economy through innovation. Science is essential to this enterprise. The sciences have long been a springboard for innovation and will only become more important in driving our nation forward. Indeed, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that science and engineering jobs in the U.S. will increase by more than 21 percent between 2006 and 2016 – double the growth rate of all other workforce sectors combined.

However, the results of the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) cast a troubling shadow over our future as leaders in scientific innovation and accomplishment.

Shut Out of The Military: More than one in five recent high school graduates is not academically qualified to enlist in the U.S. Army

WASHINGTON (December 21, 2010) – Too few of our nation’s recent high school graduates – particularly young people of color – have the math, reading, science and problem-solving skills necessary for enlistment in the U.S. Army, according to a study released today by The Education Trust. This report is the first-ever public analysis of data from the Army’s Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), the test that determines if applicants qualify to enlist in the military.

Education Trust analysis of 2009 PISA results: United States is average in performance, but leads the world in inequity

For a complete analysis of the 2009 PISA results, visit: http://www.edtrust.org/sites/edtrust.org/files/publications/files/PISA%202009%20-%2012.09.10.pptx.

WASHINGTON (December 10, 2010) – Despite near-continuous innovation in most fields, the way America educates its young people has changed very little since the Industrial Revolution. And new international data show that Industrial-Age schools – schools designed to prepare a handful of students for college, but most for jobs in factories, mills, and the like – simply aren’t preparing students for a Digital-Age world.

Subprime Opportunity: high dividends, low baccalaureates at for-profit colleges

WASHINGTON (November 23, 2010) – Three years after the U.S. housing market collapse, our country continues to suffer the effects of misplaced priorities and weak regulation of subprime mortgage lenders. Meanwhile, as a new report from The Education Trust warns, the most vulnerable Americans are being targeted by yet another set of corporations peddling access to the American dream but delivering little more than crippling debt. This time, it’s underregulated for-profit colleges.

Statement from The Education Trust on 12th-grade reading and mathematics results from the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress

WASHINGTON (November 18, 2010) – The results released today from the 2009 12th-grade National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) are unquestionably mixed. The good news is that high school students have made gains in both reading and math. But despite those improvements, staggeringly low achievement overall and enormous gaps between student groups are sobering reminders of the need to redouble our focus and supports for the students and the educators in our nation’s high schools.

A decade after passage of No Child Left Behind, America's low-income students still disproportionately taught by out-of-field, inexperienced teachers

WASHINGTON (November 18, 2010) – Nearly a decade after federal law was enacted to ensure that low-income students and students of color had a fair shot at being assigned to strong teachers, students in high-poverty schools are still disproportionately taught by out-of-field and rookie teachers, according to “Not Prepared for Class,” a report released today by The Education Trust.

Four public schools from across the U.S. to be honored with the 8th annual Dispelling the Myth Awards

WASHINGTON (November 3, 2010) – On Thursday, November 4th, The Education Trust will honor four outstanding public schools with the eighth annual Dispelling the Myth Awards. The award recognizes outstanding work in narrowing achievement gaps between student groups, exceeding state standards, or rapidly improving student learning.

With dedication, high expectations, and relentless attention to the business of teaching and learning, the educators working in these high-poverty and high-minority schools prove every day that all students can learn at high levels when they are taught to high levels.

The 2010 Dispelling the Myth Award winners are:

  • Mary McLeod Bethune Elementary School, New Orleans
  • Jack Britt High School, Fayetteville, N.C.
  • Griegos Elementary School, Albuquerque, N.M.
  • Morningside Elementary School, Brownsville, Texas
Syndicate content