Education Trust News

Obama, Duncan: Value Teachers, But Insist on Results

In twin speeches this week, President Barack Obama and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan came out swinging for our kids—and against those who would settle for halting half-measures in reforming our nation’s schools.

While pressing for “results in the classroom,” Obama urged making teaching a prized profession, calling for “a culture where we idolize the people who shape our children's future.” For his part, Duncan flagged measurement of student growth as a “game-changer” for improving all facets of the K-12 system.

"If we want success for our country, we can't accept failure in our schools."

—President Barack Obama
Speech to the National Urban League, July 29

Race to the Top Is Speeding Needed Reforms

The caliber of teachers, studies show, shapes student learning more than any other in-school factor. That’s why we’re heartened to note that 17 states have retooled their approach to gauging teacher impact in response to the U.S.

More for Core

number 26Number of states that have pledged to adopt Common Core standards

Memo to Congress: Sustain School Reform

A bad economy is no excuse to slow much-needed education reforms. Fixing, finally, the way we educate our most vulnerable students is not a luxury. Yet as Congress prepares for its August recess, Washington’s commitment to these students and the change they need is in doubt.

Two weeks ago, the House passed hefty cuts to the Race to the Top program, the Teacher Incentive Fund, and the Charter Schools program to help states plug holes in their education budgets.

Soon, the Senate will take up the issue. The choice: Raid the education-reform accounts or find other ways to help schools retain teachers. Early signs suggest that the Senate will protect the reform agenda and find other sources of funds to save school jobs.

NAACP Backs ESEA Fiscal Fairness Act, Joining Movement to Close Comparability Loophole

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) just added its voice to a growing chorus of support for fairness in education funding.

The civil rights group endorsed the ESEA Fiscal Fairness Act, which would fix a provision in Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act that often keeps schools serving low-income kids from their just share of federal funds.

The NAACP’s backing of the Fiscal Fairness Act follows close on the heels of its support last week by the National Education Association, the country’s largest teacher’s union.

Ed Trust has documented the damage done by the “comparability loophole” in its special report, “Close the Hidden Funding Gaps in Our Schools.”

In Kati's Blogs: What Makes a Teacher Effective?

Education Trust President Kati Haycock posted the following on the National Journal education blog :

During his talk at the Aspen Ideas Festival, “Precious” screenwriter Geoffrey Fletcher took my breath away by illustrating the importance of teachers with a quote from the Talmud. The passage, which begins the novel on which the movie was based, reads: “Every blade of grass has its angel that bends over it and whispers, ‘Grow, grow.’”

FAST FACT: Teacher Impact

 A black male student is about 22 percent more likely to be taught Algebra I by a novice teacher than is a white female student enrolled in the same course. Read more about the need to ensure that low-income students and students of color have access to strong teachers in the Ed Trust report, "Core Problems."   

Let's Close the Gaps

59/47/41

Six-year graduation rates of white, Hispanic, and African-American students from four-year institutions in 2007. Learn more in College Results Online.

It's the Senate's Turn: Choose to Sustain Education Reforms or Break Promises to States, Districts--and Students

As the Senate prepares to vote on legislation to provide emergency budget relief, groundbreaking education reforms are being held out as sacrificial lambs. The House has voted to make significant cuts to the Race to the Top program, the Teacher Incentive Fund, and the Charter Schools Program to help states close holes in their education budgets. Now the Senate must decide whether to halt reform in its tracks or find other ways to help schools retain their best teachers.

Let’s be clear: A bad economy is no reason to stop much-needed reform, and fixing the way we educate our most vulnerable students is not a luxury we can afford to decline. Our education system fails to serve these kids every day. So let’s not break our promises to states, schools, and students who need real change.

One group of senators gets it. They’re urging colleagues to find another way to help states prevent teacher layoffs.  They know that the last thing our country needs is for Congress to siphon money from programs that already have spurred change.