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Assessment Finds Majority of U.S. Students Have Declined in Core Subjects   WASHINGTON D.C. (10.30.19) — The Center for Education Reform (CER), a national leader in the fight to achieve educational excellence in the United States, today issued a statement by CER founder and CEO Jeanne Allen regarding the new scores revealed this morning by […] Read more »

THE NEW SAT. First there was the original, then there was the one they rescored years later to soften the blow, then they added writing, and subsequently many more essay questions (and took out that pesky “if this then that” analogy section). Now there’s the wholly new test – results of which are out today – […] Read more »

August 28th, 2017 Statement from the Center for Education Reform A Special Report issued today by the Center for Education Reform critiquing the annual PDK poll on the public’s attitudes toward the public schools finds poll questions remain highly misleading, the public’s attitudes highly mixed, and perhaps most important and least prevalent in the PDK […] Read more »

A survey of recent U.S. college graduates shows nearly 10 percent think Judge Judy is on the Supreme Court. Read more »

The overall proficiency scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in math and reading among 12 graders remained unchanged in 2013 from 2009, hovering at 26 and 38 percent, respectively. The above results were drawn from a national sample of students, with an additional 14 pilot states that produced results on a state-level […] Read more »

Public school students in the District of Columbia posted gains in all grade level and subject combinations on the 2013 Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) release Dec. 18. In fact, District students posted the highest gains from 2011 of any urban area in all subjects, and were the only ones to make statistically significant improvements […] Read more »

Janet Barresi, Oklahoma State Superintendent and “CER at 20” panelist, is pushing for legislation that will bring new accountability standards to virtual charter schools. A strong supporter of virtual charter schools, Barresi said it’s critical for Oklahoma’s virtual schools be held to the same standards as all charter schools in the system. Currently, there are two […] Read more »

Read CER’s statement on the 2013 Nation’s Report Card here. Download or print your PDF copy of the 2013 Nation’s Report Card Reading Results for 4th and 8th Grade.   Download or print your PDF copy of the 2013 Nation’s Report Card Mathematic Results for 4th and 8th Grade. Read more »

The Washington Post reported on Oct. 24 that 50 percent of eighth-graders performed better than the international average in math and science, according to a comparison between standardized test results. The study analyzed the 2011 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) scores of American students and those of international students on Trends in International Mathematics […] Read more »

Data indicates the achievement gap is narrowing between white students and minority students, however studies such as this one from the Council on Foreign relations indicate we are still not doing enough to ensure the success of future generations. Read more »

Achievement gaps for black and Hispanic youths have declined by substantial margins in reading and math since the early 1970s, according to new federal data. Read more »

The two generations of reform efforts fueled by A Nation at Risk, while commendable and necessary, have only begun to scratch the surface when one considers the enormous achievement problems we still have today. Read more »

Where do we stand thirty years after this seminal education reform report warned us of the deteriorating state of American education? Read more »

American Enterprise Institute (AEI) hosts an event on Common Core and the education reform movement. CER President Jeanne Allen discusses charter schools and social studies standards. Read more »

It is just weeks away from the 30th anniversary of A Nation At Risk, and we are STILL struggling with what to do with kids who can’t read. Really? Read more in the Washington Post article “States draw a hard line on third-graders, holding some back over reading”. Read more »

Successful school leader and one-time CER awardee Deborah Kenny of Village Academies makes the case for good teaching as the key to triumphant kids, not standards alone. Read her Op-Ed about how the Common Core is affecting how schools handle young children here. Read more »

Nation’s Report Card study reveals mega-states lagging national average despite modest gains. Read more »

An Indiana website picked up this paper from Sandra Stotsky, Professor Emerita at the University of Arkansas, and dubbed it "The best explanation of why Common Core ELA standards are rubbish". Read more »

These charts from the Education Consumers Foundation not only help determine how well a school in a particular state or region is educating a student, but also shed light on the argument heard so often about poverty being an excuse for poor performance. Read more »

Is the national curriculum standards debate about to go nuclear? Neal McCluskey points out issues with Common Core now that sample test questions have been released. The question now is whether these issues will cause "the whole, dubious undertaking to suddenly melt down." Read more »

The National Center for Education Statistics released the 2011 Writing Report Card, where only 27% of U.S. 8th and 12th graders scored proficient or above. Read more »

The latest college-entrance exam results aren't pretty. So just how do we get U.S. high schools to do a better job preparing students for post-secondary success? Try choice. Read more »

Many schools are using Patriot Week (September 11-17) to call attention to the founding principles of our great nation, and renew a sense of spirit and commitment to the American Dream and the Constitution. Read more »

Even though science results on the 2011 Nation's Report card show an increase from 2009, 68 percent of America's eighth graders lack a basic understanding of science. Read more »

The Task Force sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations found that with U.S. students lagging behind the rest of the developed countries there is in fact a national security threat. Read a summary of the report and recommendations here. Read more »

A 2012 report indicates the United States' graduation rate topped 75% in 2009, and dropout factories are on the decline. Read more »

The State Policy Network (SPN) has been working on a project to provide the network and grassroots activists around the country the tools they need to help United States citizens understand their freedom and the founding principles of their country. Read more »

Barely 40 percent of the nation’s 4th- and 8th-grade students are proficient in math and reading, an alarming statistic that would be considered failure in any grade, any school, or on any state report card. Read more »

A University of Chicago study finds that while graduation rates have had significant growth, racial gaps have widened and many students have academic achievement levels below what is necessary to go to college. Read more »

Hispanic Council for Reform and Educational Options hosted an education summit in Florida to examine how school choice options can help Hispanic students not only stay in school, but achieve at higher levels. Read more »

At the heart of the PDK/Gallup Poll again this year is one principal theme that in nearly every instance, data, facts, or complete context is not offered in exchange for the opinions sought. Read more »

What is being called the Common Core these days is not really the original Common Core. Read more »

2011 SAT score analysis shows that student improvement is going nowhere, and achievement gaps still exist. It's time to rally for a system that puts students and their achievement first. Read more »

While increased student achievement is and should be the major goal of school reform efforts, recent data revealing our students’ lagging civics knowledge - particularly in a time of increased international and national uncertainty - stands out as a continual black mark on the US and thus on its economic and national security. Read more »

American students are not being properly prepared to succeed in the global workforce and demonstrate slower progress than ever before in math proficiency, according to an evaluation of test scores under the Nation's Report Card (NAEP) released today. Read more »