DC Public Education Fund的动态

The latest #NAEP results are in, and they confirm what many of us expected: national trends remain stagnant post-pandemic. But here in DC, the data tells a slightly more encouraging story—our investments in math and early literacy are working. DC’s fourth graders outperformed both national and large-city averages in reading, and we saw the largest math improvement in the country at the fourth-grade level (tied w/ Delaware). But let’s be clear: our overall proficiency rates remain far too low, and deep achievement gaps persist. This progress didn’t happen by accident. Intentional, sustained investment in what works makes a difference. Deep investments in teachers, curriculum and professional development over the last few years has put us on a path forward. The DC Reading Clinic has also played a critical role in strengthening early literacy by equipping teachers with evidence-based reading instruction, and these results reinforce that the strategy is paying off. Now, we need to bring that same focus, urgency, and innovation to math to continue advancing us forward as a district.? ? At the DC Public Education Fund, we are laser-focused on bringing additional philanthropic resources to DCPS to advance academic and whole child outcomes for our students, with our top priority being math innovation in year ahead. Funders: don’t see these results and conclude that our schools aren’t worth investing in. When we’ve paired targeted public and private resources with research-backed strategies, we’ve seen real progress. Now is the time to double down—not pull back—on investments that help students build the skills they need to thrive. Much more, much more data analysis coming soon... #DCEducation #Math #NAEP https://lnkd.in/eG5RsdGq

America’s schools have started to make progress toward getting students back on track. But improvement has been slow and uneven across geography and economic status, with millions of students — often those from marginalized groups — making up little or no ground. Nationally, students made up one-third of their pandemic losses in math during the past school year and one-quarter of the losses in reading, according to the?Education Recovery Scorecard, an analysis of state and national test scores by researchers at Harvard and Stanford. https://lnkd.in/gURzNqZ2

??The latest Nation’s Report Card (NAEP) results confirm a troubling trend: reading scores for fourth and eighth graders have declined again from 2022 to 2024. This follows a downward trajectory that began even before the pandemic. NPR’s Cory Turner pointed out on an Up First podcast that “the lowest performers in reading are actually scoring worse now than the lowest performers who took the test 30 years ago.” While this is alarming for all students, it’s especially concerning because many of the lowest-performing readers are students with disabilities. These students often have Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), yet far too many still lack access to the evidence-based literacy instruction they need to succeed. In some cases, IEP goals begin shifting toward “functional skills” as early as middle school—when, in reality, every student should have the opportunity to meaningfully build their literacy skills until the day they exit public education. We know that literacy is foundational—not just for academic achievement, but for future earning potential, access to higher education, and even the ability to live and engage in the community independently. And yet, despite decades of research on what works, students with disabilities are still being left behind. To reverse this trend, we must ensure that all students—especially those with disabilities—have access to explicit, systematic, evidence-based reading instruction. Literacy is not just a skill; it’s a gateway to opportunity. ?? Sources: ?? The Nation’s Report Card - https://lnkd.in/djvSSA38 ?? US children fall further behind in reading, make little improvement in math on national exam (AP News) - https://lnkd.in/dhzUpVEn ?? Transcript: Up First podcast (NPR) - https://lnkd.in/dVSBs9A3 #TransitionPlanning #TransitionServices #LiteracyCrisis #EducationMatters #ReadingScores #NAEP #SpecialEducation #EvidenceBasedInstruction #IEPs #Dyslexia #FutureOfWork #IndependentLiving

Yesterday's Boston Globe article on MCAS scores paints a sobering picture of Massachusetts' literacy landscape. With only 42% of students meeting expectations and nearly 40,000 more failing English tests compared to 2019, it's clear that our education system faces a crisis that demands immediate attention and innovative solutions. While evidence-based teaching methods are crucial, they alone cannot solve this problem. We need a holistic, community-driven approach. Organizations like Literations offer a vital complement to classroom instruction by providing one-on-one literacy coaching and mentoring to students in high-need districts. Our program pairs older-adult volunteers with 1st-4th graders, fostering relationships that build confidence and accelerate literacy progress. This personalized attention is especially critical in districts with high populations of low-income students, English learners, and students of color, where performance lags significantly behind state averages. To truly move the needle on literacy achievement, we must embrace an all-hands-on-deck strategy. This includes supporting organizations like Literations, Boston Partners in Education, 826 Boston, and Reach Out and Read (to name just a few), as well as advocating for state funding of high-dosage tutoring programs. Teachers cannot shoulder this burden alone; it's time for policymakers, community members, and educational nonprofits to unite in tackling this crisis. By combining structured teaching approaches with the power of mentorship and individualized support, we can help our students regain lost ground and build a stronger foundation for their future success.

Yes, there are some bright spots. Fourth-grade math scores have stabilized, and some students are regaining lost ground. But the overall story is sobering: most fourth- and eighth-graders are still performing below pre-pandemic levels, and reading scores continue to decline. In fact, the lowest-performing students in 2024 scored lower than their counterparts did 30 years ago. This isn’t just a pandemic story. These declines began years before COVID-19, raising urgent questions about how we support students—especially those from historically marginalized communities. The new socioeconomic data in NAEP makes it undeniable: poverty and academic performance are deeply linked. As educators, we know that learning recovery isn’t about quick fixes. Research-backed interventions—like targeted tutoring, expanded learning time, and a focus on foundational literacy—matter. But so does consistent attendance, student engagement, and systemic investment in our schools. The challenge now isn’t just closing the pandemic gap; it’s rethinking how we support students long-term. How do we ensure that our most vulnerable learners don’t just catch up—but thrive? Would love to hear from fellow educators and leaders: What strategies are working in your schools? Where do we go from here? #Education #StudentSuccess #NAEP #LiteracyMatters

NY TIMES. "Fixing the Calamity in U.S. Math Knowledge Starts With Algebra The federal government made a disastrous choice?a decade ago?when it abandoned an accountability system (known as No Child Left Behind) that required schools to focus intently on helping the lowest-performing students catch up with their peers. Since then, the already alarming achievement gaps that separate poor and wealthy children have only widened. Math scores have plummeted, raising fears that the United States is destined to fall permanently behind its competitor nations when it comes to preparing young people for careers in science, technology and engineering. As Troy Closson of The Times wrote this week, some school systems have opted for policies that disguise the achievement gap without remedying it. A decade ago, for example, the San Francisco public schools responded to high failure rates and achievement gaps by moving algebra — which is foundational to the study of math — from eighth grade to ninth grade, meaning that no one was allowed to take the course in eighth grade simply because some students struggled with it. This system wrote off poor students who might have benefited from exposure to new material and denied well-prepared children the opportunity to forge ahead in their studies. Not surprisingly, the policy failed to achieve its central goal, which was to?close racial gaps in the taking of advanced math courses.?Chastened by parental outrage, San Francisco?reversed course. Only?about a quarter of American students study algebra in eighth grade. That proportion needs to grow. Fortunately a few states,?including North Carolina and Texas, are adopting systems under which children who meet specified performance levels on state exams are automatically channeled into advanced math classes. In Dallas there are no hoops to jump through. As?The Dallas Morning News reported last year, young people no longer have to wait for counselors to recommend them or for parents who know little about how schools operate to sign them up. Students who were unaware that honors courses even existed are now being enrolled. The gravest challenge facing the country today is redressing?the devastating learning losses?that children suffered during the Covid pandemic. Among other things, solving this problem will mean equipping teachers to manage classrooms that include students of different preparation levels. One?new study?offers reason for optimism. It shows that students who would ordinarily be tracked into remedial work can perform well in algebra classes that include higher-performing peers — and experience broader academic success — when teachers are trained to handle heterogeneous groups and are given more time to prepare."

Academic Progress Post-Pandemic: An Update from U.S. Schools U.S. schools are steadily recovering from COVID-19 disruptions, employing strategies like extended school years, high-dosage tutoring, and enhanced summer programs to help students catch up. Despite significant progress, challenges remain, particularly for students from low-income backgrounds and marginalized communities. In my opinion greater efforts are necessary to support students from low-income backgrounds and marginalized communities. https://lnkd.in/emf_Nmtg

It's no secret that I believe high-impact tutoring is the most exciting thing happening in K-12 education. It's transformative on many levels, not the least of which is that kids learn more than they would otherwise! Thomas Toch and I had the opportunity to write about the promise and potential of tutoring for The Washington Monthly, and I appreciate Elisa Villanueva Beard's take on our piece. I can't wait to see how TFA Ignite's program continues to evolve, both to accelerate student learning and broaden the pipeline of future educators. The path forward for tutoring is unclear with the expiration of ESSER dollars, but those doing the work are not slowing down. If you care about student outcomes, maintaining (and expanding!) tutoring should be high on your priority list.

Elementary school academic curriculum has been getting a redo in recent years, but high school curriculums are now receiving an overdue facelift to ensure graduates are truly set up for success for adulthood as a whole, not just in academia. #highschool #graduation #setupforsuccess #lifeskills