Press Releases and Statements

Achievement gap analysis shows some states may be better positioned for higher scores on Race to the Top applications

WASHINGTON (January 7, 2010) – As state leaders put the finishing touches on applications for federal Race to the Top (RTT) funding, many recognize that they will never achieve the excellence the Obama administration seeks without focusing their proposals squarely on equity for low-income students and students of color.

     Indeed, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has made it clear that these 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.

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Sheepskins should trump pigskins: Youth, nation have stake in "Graduation Championship Series"

WASHINGTON (January 5, 2010) – Each fall, millions of young fans watch as their favorite colleges and universities vie on the gridiron for bragging rights in the national rankings. They dream of the excitement that comes from attending a top-ranked football power. They dream of being winners.

Higher education leaders from across the U.S. commit to boost college access and success for low-income, minority students

WASHINGTON (December 3, 2009)—Data released today from the Access to Success (A2S) Initiative show alarming, but reversible, national trends: Far too few low-income and minority students are enrolling in college, and even fewer make it all the way to commencement.

New reports challenge states to commit to bold teacher effectiveness reforms in “Race to the Top” applications

WASHINGTON (November 9, 2009) – The Education Trust and The New Teacher Project (TNTP) today released two reports  challenging states to focus on bold reforms to increase teacher effectiveness in their applications for federal “Race to the Top” funding.

Fighting for Quality and Equality, Too, by The Education Trust, and How Bold is “Bold”?, by TNTP, outline strategies for ending ed

Kati Haycock, president of The Education Trust, on the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund regulations

WASHINGTON (November 9, 2009) – The State Fiscal Stabilization Fund—part of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (AARA)—provided an unprecedented $48.6 billion to states.

The Education Trust honors four schools with Dispelling the Myth Awards

Public schools from Alabama, Georgia, Michigan and New York are proving that low-income and minority students achieve at high levels when taught at high levels

Statement from The Education Trust on the 2009 NAEP Mathematics results

WASHINGTON (October 14, 2009) – Most student groups and the nation as a whole showed modest gains at the eighth-grade level on the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in mathematics. Some states improved significantly in both fourth and eighth grades.

Kati Haycock, president of The Education Trust, on the Common Core Standards initiative

WASHINGTON (September 21, 2009)--The Common Core Standards Initiative has set the right goal: Get to consistent, high standards that prepare all students, regardless of their zip code, for education beyond high school.

“College ready” and “career ready” are synonymous. That means that the kind of rigorous, college-prep curriculum that was traditionally reserved for a select few is now a basic requirement for everyone.

Kati Haycock, president of The Education Trust, on the new NCES study examining the Black-White achievement gap

WASHINGTON (July 14, 2009) – Today’s report from the National Center for Education Statistics shows that the hard work of educators and students has resulted in important progress. Achievement is rising for both African-American and white students and the gaps between them are narrowing. In fourth-grade math, for example, average performance for African-American students on the 2007 main NAEP assessment is higher than the average for white students in 1990.

But despite this improvement, we’re nowhere near where we need to be.

Statement from The Education Trust on the 2008 NAEP long-term trend results

WASHINGTON (April 28, 2009) – According to today’s release of long-term trend data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), we’ve seen marked improvements in reading and math achievement among younger students, and achievement gaps between white students and students of color have narrowed over the past four decades.

However, 35 years of relative stagnation in reading and math achievement among high school students overall should be cause for great alarm.

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