Publications About Accountability and Support for Struggling Schools

Following is a list of all Education Trust publications arranged from newest to oldest.

If you know the title of a specific publication but cannot find it, type the name in the Search box at the top of this page. To find a publication on a specific topic, go to the Filter Publications box and choose a topic or audience from the drop-down menu. Or you can click on one of the “tags” beneath a publication listed below to view all our publications on that topic.

All Education Trust publications are available as free downloads. Publications marked with an asterisk (*) are available in print. Please contact rsmiles@edtrust.org for more information.

Building and Sustaining Talent: Creating Conditions in High-Poverty Schools That Support Effective Teaching and Learning

Improving public education depends on attracting, nurturing, and retaining talented teachers in schools with the greatest academic need. With concerted attention being given to upgrading teacher evaluation systems, the culture and work environments of struggling schools require equal focus if student learning is to improve.

Publication date: 
June 26 2012
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Los Padres Quieren Saber

Las madres, los padres, los encargados y sus comunidades deberían tener acceso a datos comprensivos y fácilmente obtenibles acerca de las escuelas de sus hijos. El folleto “Los Padres Quieren Saber” de The Education Trust observa la reautorización de la ley educativa actual (ESEA, por sus siglas en inglés) y describe la necesidad de tener informes públicos en áreas tan cruciales como logro académico, escuelas superiores, clima escolar, maestras/os, distritos, y presupuestos. 

Publication date: 
February 15 2012

Parents Want to Know

Parents and communities should have access to comprehensive, easily accessible data on how schools are doing. In "Parents Want to Know," the Ed Trust zeroes in on the expected reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act as the opportunity for lawmakers to require public reporting on such crucial indicators as achievement, high schools, school climate, teachers, school districts, and funding levels.

Publication date: 
September 29 2011

Getting it Right: Crafting Federal Accountability for Higher Student Performance and a Stronger America

Whether through reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act or using the Department of Education’s waiver authority, federal policymakers must fix what No Child Left Behind got wrong, while salvaging what it got right: a focus on improving achievement and closing gaps for all groups of students. In this report, The Education Trust details its recommendations for new federal accountability policy.

Publication date: 
September 13 2011

Stuck Schools Revisited: Beneath the Averages

“Stuck Schools Revisited: Beneath the Averages” shows why a national focus on turning around the lowest performing schools, while needed, is not enough to raise achievement and close gaps. The report analyzes student achievement data from Maryland and Indiana, which reflect the outcomes seen in other states.

Publication date: 
April 27 2011

Not Prepared for Class: High Poverty Schools Continue to Have Fewer In-Field Teachers

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.

Publication date: 
November 18 2010
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Close the Hidden Funding Gaps in Our Schools

“Close the Hidden Funding Gaps in Our Schools” shines a light on widespread and unjust district budgeting practices and offers Congress a straightforward legislative path: Fix the so-called comparability provisions of Title I.

Publication date: 
April 1 2010
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Stuck Schools

Schools often lumped together as “low performing” are not all alike. Some low-performing schools remain “stuck” year after year, while others that started as low performers are among the fastest improvers in their states. Tracking proficiency rates and improvement over time can help policymakers focus scarce resources on the neediest schools.

Publication date: 
March 1 2010
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A Guide to Homework for Parents to Help Their Children Succeed*

This guide helps parents locate their state’s academic standards, compare homework assignments with the standards, ask questions about homework assignments, and get help when homework seems meaningless, too difficult, or too easy.

Publication date: 
September 30 2009
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What Does It Take to Close Achievement Gaps and Help All Students Learn at High Levels?*

Find answers in How It’s Being Done: Urgent Lessons from Unexpected Schools. Karin Chenoweth’s latest book takes you on a coast-to-coast tour of classrooms that work. These schools turn high expectations into academic success, whether they serve low-income white kids in rural Arkansas, Latino teens in Southern California, or black middle schoolers in Boston. Learn how they do it.

Publication date: 
September 8 2009
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