|
| |
Improving Student Achievement: Assessing State Test Scores
From: RAND
| By:
David GrissmerAnn FlanaganJennifer KawataStephanie Williamson |
EDITOR'S INTRODUCTION |
According to a 2000 RAND research study led by David Grissmer, the education reforms of the 1980s and 1990s have improved the achievement of American fourth- and eighth-grade students. Analyzing National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) tests given to students in 44 states from 1990 to 1996, Grissmer and his team demonstrate that math scores have risen across the country at a pace outstripping that of the previous two decades, and suggest that public education reforms are taking hold.
Effective allocation of resources, not simply increased funding, boosts student learning. According to the study, states at the top of the heap generally have lower pupil-teacher ratios in lower grades, higher participation in public pre-kindergarten programs and a higher percentage of teachers who are satisfied with their classroom resources. The study also indicates that providing additional resources to disadvantaged students has been generally effective.
"Our results certainly challenge the traditional view of public education as 'unreformable,'" Grissmer concludes. "But the achievement of disadvantaged students is still substantially affected by inadequate resources. Stronger federal compensatory programs are required to address this inequity." |
|
This summary of a 2000 study indicates that the education reforms of the past two decades are working. |
|
|
| |
