Education Trust News

Did You Know?

Pell Grants once covered 80 percent of the cost for a low-income student to attend a four-year public college. Today, it's only 36 percent. Read Opportunity Adrift to see where college aid is coming from--and whom it's going to.

EQUITY EXPRESS FAST FACT: Last-Hired, First-Fired Layoff Policies Need Retooling

Teacher-layoff policies in many school districts do not take in to account what's best for students. In fact, most states offer little, if any, guidance to districts on how to address layoffs. Lack of state direction coupled with district inattention to teacher performance has made "last-hired, first-fired" policies the norm. Nearly 75 percent of large districts nationwide use only seniority to determine teacher layoffs, reports the National Council on Teacher Quality.

     Seniority-based layoffs are the easy way out, but they don't work well for everyone—especially low-income students. 

  • They result in higher job loss. Districts must dismiss more new teachers—who earn lower salaries than their veteran counterparts—to close budget shortfalls. University of Washington researcher Marguerite Roza found that "seniority neutral" policies actually save jobs.
  • They reward longevity instead of effectiveness. Strong teachers have an immense influence on student achievement. Yet districts do not consider teacher evaluations in their layoff decisions.
  • They hurt high-poverty schools. Because such schools have a disproportionate number of new teachers, seniority-based layoff policies create revolving doors in the schools that need steady hands the most.

     Bottom line: Last-hired, first-fired policies fail to place the needs of students first, and districts should find alternative solutions when tight budgets force layoffs.

 

Performance and Progress Determine “Stuck Schools,” Ed Trust Study Shows

A new Ed Trust report shows that schools often lumped together as “low performing” are not all alike. Data from reading and mathematics assessments for elementary and middle schools in ten states show some low-performing schools remain “stuck” year after year. Yet others that started as low performers are among the fastest improvers in their states.

     Amid conflicting claims about school turnarounds and growing federal investment in struggling schools, “Stuck Schools: A Framework for Identifying Schools Where Students Need Change—Now!” sheds light on gains, or their absence, in low-performing schools.

EQUITY EXPRESS FAST FACT: Middle Schools Show How All Students Can Succeed

Effective practices shape student outcomes—regardless of race.

     What separates higher performing from lower performing schools? A schoolwide focus on improving academic outcomes for all students, suggests a new study by EdSource, "Gaining Ground in the Middle Grades: Why Some Schools Do Better." Other practices distinguishing these California middle schools include the following:

  • preparing all students for a rigorous high school education and beyond;
  • setting measurable goals for gains on standards-based assessment;
  • holding superintendents, administrators, and teachers accountable for student gains;
  • identifying and intervening early with struggling students; and
  • using data to monitor student progress and improve teacher practice.

Did You Know?

Too many low-income and minority students receive teachers with inadequate training and skills. In core academic classes nationwide, teachers with neither certification nor a major in the subject teach in high-poverty schools at double the rate of low-poverty schools.

Did You Know?

  • The college-enrollment gap between black and white students is wider than ever.
  • Smart kids from low-income families earn degrees less often than rich kids who are low achievers.
  • Colleges award more grant aid to wealthy students than to low-income students.

EQUITY EXPRESS FAST FACT: Education Helps Drive Our Economy

President Obama observed in the State of the Union that "the best anti-poverty program around is a world-class education." We've long known that learning can lift individuals out of poverty, but two recent reports suggest that high-quality education for all builds national prosperity.

  • A study from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), "The High Cost of Low Educational Performance," links cognitive skills to economic well-being. A rise in scores on the Programme for International Student Achievement, OECD projects, would add $72 trillion to our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) over the lifetime of children born in 2010.
  • A 2009 McKinsey and Co. report found that closing the achievement gap between low-income students and others would have boosted our GDP in 2008 by as much as 5 percent.

To keep America competitive, we must ensure that all students receive a high-quality education.

Some Public Colleges and Universities Are Making Gains, Closing Gaps in Graduation Rates for Minority Students

Many young people choose where to attend college based on its popularity and prestige. But they may neglect to consider the school’s record in actually graduating students. Minority students especially may want to take a good look at how well the college they’re considering fares.
     Two new Ed Trust briefs show that some public colleges and universities are doing better than others in ensuring that minority students earn bachelor’s degrees. “Top Gainers” and “Top Gap Closers” highlight institutions that have made the biggest improvements since 2002.
     The briefs compiled and analyzed data from federal sources and College Results Online—Ed Trust’s Web tool that allows the public to view college graduation rates by race, ethnicity, and gender. About 60 percent of public four-year colleges have seen improved graduation rates for minority students since 2002. At the same time, 46 percent of these institutions narrowed the graduation-rate gap between minority and nonminority students. More details in our Press Room.

Flagship Universities' Financial Aid Policies Shortchange Poor and Minority Students

The priorities of some of the nation’s most prestigious public universities are undermining the goal of helping more low-income and minority students attend and succeed in college. Our new report, “Opportunity Adrift: Our Flagship Universities Are Straying From Their Public Mission,” examines how well the flagships are serving the student populations of their respective states. The report also reveals a grievous imbalance in the way many of these institutions distribute financial aid to students.

New Achievement Gap Analysis Suggests Four Ways to Gain a More Comprehensive Picture of Equity

As state leaders put the finishing touches on applications for Race to the Top (RTT) funding, a new Ed Trust analysis of achievement gaps shows some states may be better positioned for higher scores on their grant applications. Education Secretary Arne Duncan has made it clear that RTT grants will reward states not only for bold reforms proposed for the future but also for past progress in narrowing gaps in student achievement.
     According to “Gauging the Gaps: A Deeper Look at Student Achievement,” educators and policymakers must examine achievement-gap data from at least four different perspectives: