Press Releases and Statements

Education Watch: Tracking achievement, attainment, and opportunity in America’s public schools

WASHINGTON (March 31, 2009) – Last month, Congress made an unprecedented commitment to America’s public schools, passing the single biggest increase in federal education funding in our nation’s history. As the U.S. Department of Education begins to distribute the one-time funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the onus is on states to live up to that challenge and ensure that this investment boosts overall achievement and closes gaps.

To measure how effectively states are using the infusion of federal support, the public will need accurate, reliable data.

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Statement from The Education Trust on the education provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

WASHINGTON (February 5, 2009) – Our nation’s educators and students are making important progress. Achievement is rising and the gaps that separate students of color and low-income students from others are narrower than ever. But much work remains to be done. Students in other countries still outperform American students, and our domestic achievement gaps, though narrowing, are still a disgrace and pose serious threats to our long-term national well-being.

The last thing we need right now is for hard-won progress to be derailed by cuts in state and local support for schools.

Kati Haycock, president of The Education Trust, on the announcement of the intent to nominate Russlynn Ali as Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights

WASHINGTON (February 4, 2009) – I could not be more delighted by today’s announcement of the intent to nominate Russlynn Ali as the assistant secretary for civil rights at the U.S. Department of Education.

NO ACCOUNTING FOR FAIRNESS: Additional federal and state funds intended for Ohio's low-income students often don't reach the state's highest poverty schools

In Some Schools, These Inequities Can Mean a Difference of Tens of Thousands, and Sometimes Hundreds of Thousands, of Dollars Every Year

WASHINGTON (December 22, 2008) – Additional funding for Ohio’s low-income students often fails to reach the highest poverty schools, undermining policymakers’ efforts to boost student achievement through additional federal and state investments, according to a report released today by The Education Trust.

No Accounting for Fairness examines funding patterns in the state’s

Kati Haycock, president of The Education Trust, on the release of 2007 TIMSS data

WASHINGTON (December 9, 2008) – American students do reasonably well when compared to students in the total pool of countries participating in the just released TIMSS.

CORE PROBLEMS: Out-of-field teaching persists in key academic courses, especially in America's high-poverty and high-minority schools

WASHINGTON (November 25, 2008) – In America’s secondary schools, low-income students and students of color are about twice as likely as other students to be enrolled in core academic classes taught by out-of-field teachers, according to a report released today by The Education Trust.

Out-of-field teachers are those who possess neither certification in the subject they have been assigned to teach nor an academic major in that subject.

In middle and high school mathematics, for example:

  • Four in ten classes in high-poverty schools are taught by an out-of-field te

Measures that Matter: Making college and career readiness the mission for America's high schools

WASHINGTON (November 20, 2008) – America’s young people are being woefully underprepared for life after high school. While the importance of postsecondary education and training has never been greater, four of every 10 college students need to take remedial courses. Among African-American and Latino students, that number rises to six out of 10. And sadly, students who take remedial courses in college are much more likely to drop out.

Four U.S. schools to be honored with The Education Trust's Dispelling the Myth Award

WASHINGTON (November 11, 2008) – On Thursday, November 13 in Washington, D.C., The Education Trust will present the sixth annual Dispelling the Myth awards to four schools from across the country that have been extraordinarily successful in educating low-income students and students of color to high academic levels.

The awards recognize schools for making significant strides in narrowing gaps in academic achievement among student groups, showing achievement levels that significantly exceed the averages in their states, or improving student performance at a rapid pace.

The 20

"Counting on Graduation”: Most states are setting low expectations for the improvement of high school graduation rates

WASHINGTON (October 23, 2008) – Among industrialized nations, the United States is the only country in which today’s young people are less likely than their parents to have earned a high school diploma. Reversing this trend could hardly be more urgent.

Yet policymakers in many states are setting graduation improvement targets that won’t get our young people—or our nation—ready to compete in the knowledge-driven world of the 21st century.

An open letter to Senator Ted Kennedy from American educators and advocates

Dear Senator Kennedy,

Nobody has fought harder for America's children than you have.

For more than 40 years, you have consistently stood up for those who cannot speak up for themselves. Your vision of what our country could be has inspired all of us—educators and others working to improve schooling at every level—to devote ourselves to putting the American Dream within the reach of every child, regardless of race, class, language, or disability.

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