The 2008 Brown Center Report on American Education: How Well Are American Students Learning? With Sections on International Assessments, the Misplaced Math Student, and Urban Schools. Volume II, Number 3

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Autor/in	Loveless, Tom
Institution	Brookings Institution, Brown Center on Education Policy
Titel	The 2008 Brown Center Report on American Education: How Well Are American Students Learning? With Sections on International Assessments, the Misplaced Math Student, and Urban Schools. Volume II, Number 3
Quelle	(2009), (44 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Monographie
Schlagwörter	Urban Schools; Student Attitudes; Achievement Gains; Achievement Tests; Educational Change; Benchmarking; Learner Engagement; Research Reports; Scientific Attitudes; Educational Policy; Policy Analysis; Algebra; Educational Trends; Educational Assessment; Educational Indicators; National Surveys; Comparative Education; California; United States; Program for International Student Assessment + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Urban area; Urban areas; School; Schools; Stadtregion; Stadt; Schule; Schülerverhalten; Achievement gain; Leistungssteigerung; Achievement test; Achievement; Testing; Test; Tests; Leistungsbeurteilung; Leistungsüberprüfung; Leistung; Testdurchführung; Testen; Bildungsreform; Research report; Forschungsbericht; Politics of education; Bildungspolitik; Politikfeldanalyse; Bildungsentwicklung; Education; assessment; Bewertungssystem; Educational indicato; Bildungsindikator; Vergleichende Erziehungswissenschaft; Kalifornien; USA
Abstract	The watchword of this year's Brown Center Report is caution--caution in linking state tests to international assessments--"benchmarking" is the term--caution in proceeding with a policy of "algebra for all eighth graders," caution in gleaning policy lessons from the recent progress made by urban schools. State and local budget woes will restrain policymakers from adopting costly education reforms, but even so, the three studies contained herein are a reminder that restraint must be exercised in matters other than budgets in governing education well. All too often, policy decisions are based on wishful thinking rather than cautious analysis. As education evolves as a discipline, the careful analysis of high-quality data will provide the foundation for meaningful education reform. The report consists of three sections, each discussing a separate study. The first section looks at international testing. Powerful groups, led by the National Governors Association, are urging the states to benchmark their state achievement tests to an international assessment, the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). After comparing PISA to the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), the other major international assessment in which the United States participates, the Brown Center analysis examines findings from a chapter of the 2006 PISA report that addresses student engagement. The chapter presents data on students' attitudes, values, and beliefs toward science. The second section tackles another hot topic in policy circles--whether all eighth graders should take an algebra course. California recently adopted a universal eighth grade algebra policy that will be implemented in 2011, joining a Minnesota policy with the same objective and implementation date. Are all eighth graders prepared to take an algebra class? National data are examined from eighth grade math classes in 2005 to answer that question. The final section of the report is a good news story. The 2001 Brown Center Report presented an analysis of academic achievement in big city school districts. That study compared test scores for school districts serving the top fifty cities in the 2000 U.S. Census to the average test score in the cities' respective states. Not surprisingly, the big city districts lagged far behind. This year's report replicates that study using the most recent achievement data. Big city schools have made significant gains. While all school districts have notched achievement gains, the big city districts made even larger gains than other districts. They are closing the gap with suburban and rural districts, slowly, to be sure, but they are clearly making progress. The Brown Center Report ends with a call for a periodic national inventory of district policies across the country. We are getting much better at determining how well students are learning and tracking trends in test scores as they unfold over time. But policy analysis lags behind. Explaining why students are learning more or less--and really pinpointing the causes of trends in achievement--will take much more information about the policies and practices of our schools. (Contains 12 tables, 3 figures, and 50 notes.) [Funding for this report was provided by The Brown Foundation, Inc. For "The 2007 Brown Center Report on American Education: How Well Are American Students Learning? Volume II, Number 2," see ED499378.] (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	Brookings Institution Press. 1775 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 202-797-6000; Fax: 202-797-6004; e-mail: webmaster@brookings.edu; Web site: http://www.brookings.edu
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10