Publications About Closing the Gaps

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 cfields@edtrust.org for more information.

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
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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

Essential Elements of Teacher Policy in ESEA: Effectiveness, Fairness, and Evaluation

Currently, performance evaluation systems used to assess teachers in virtually every school system in the United States fail to differentiate between individual teachers who boost student learning and those who need to improve. As a result, the students who need the most from their teachers are far less likely to get those who can help them achieve at high levels.

In this report, the Center for American Progress and The Education Trust recommend ways to strengthen the teacher provisions of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act, or ESEA.

Publication date: 
February 22 2011

Shut Out of the Military: Today's High School Education Doesn't Mean You're Ready for Today's Army*

In “Shut Out of the Military,” the first-ever public analysis of the Army’s Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), Ed Trust finds that more than one in five young people interested in enlisting does not meet the minimum eligibility standard required for the Army (as measured by the Armed Forces Qualification Test, comprised of four academic subtests of the ASVAB).

Publication date: 
December 20 2010
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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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Gauging the Gaps: A Deeper Look at Student Achievement*

Using state-level NAEP data, this brief illustrates the pitfalls in one-dimensional appraisals of achievement gaps. Analyzing the gaps from four perspectives is essential to gain a comprehensive, accurate picture of equity.

Publication date: 
January 6 2010
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The Value of Value-Added Data*

Value-added data give principals, educators, and parents a potent tool to assess both student achievement and teacher impact. This report shows how value-added data—which tracks growth in student learning—can improve decisions about course placements, individual interventions, and professional development designed to hone teachers’ skills.

 

Publication date: 
November 20 2009
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