Graduate Degree ROI | Math Improvement | GAO Report on Better FAFSA

This week, W/A Co-founder Anna Kimsey Edwards reflects on a chance meeting and the birth of the National Math Improvement Project.

Sometimes, chance meetings can have a profound impact. I met my husband on an airplane. And in the fall of 2022, I helped make an offhand introduction between three district leaders that might just reshape the future of math education. Districts were, at the time, still reeling from COVID.

Then, the NAEP data confirmed our fears. From 2019 to 2022, 4th grade math scores had dropped by 5 points. For 8th graders, the drop was even steeper: 8 points over the same period.

For months, we had been hearing from district leaders who were taking heroic steps to equip educators with resources and strategies that could move the needle in math. The challenge and complexity of their jobs had multiplied. And many of them were navigating common challenges.

At the time, I was surprised to learn that three leaders of the nation’s largest districts — former NYC Public Schools Deputy Chancellor Carolyne Quintana , Chicago Public Schools Deputy Chief of Teaching and Learning Mary Beck , and then Houston Independent School District Chief Academic Officer Shawn Bird, Ed.D. – didn’t know one another.

In the minutes that followed that chance introduction, a bond was formed as three dedicated educators shared their commitment - and strategies - for transforming math instruction and improving outcomes for all students. And so the seeds of the National Math Improvement Project were planted.

This week, we had the chance to help facilitate what is now an ongoing community of practice among the six largest districts in the country. Together, the leaders of Chicago Public Schools, Houston Independent School District, Los Angeles Unified School District, Miami-Dade County Public Schools, New York City Public Schools, and the School District of Philadelphia have committed to coming together on a consistent basis to collaborate around shared interests and challenges, with the goal of accelerating – and sustaining – improved math outcomes.

Beyond learning from one another and driving change from within their districts, the district leaders are hopeful that their collective actions can drive demand for the sort of curriculum, supports, and interventions that are needed to improve math outcomes for the nation’s most vulnerable learners.

Through NMIP, we’ve teamed up with our friends at Education Trust and experienced education changemakers, including Dr. Dia B. , Peter Gorman and Kaya Henderson . The project is funded with support from the Gates Foundation . More on their math work here.

This week, the NMIP convened in Chicago and presented at the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), which overlapped with the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics (NCSM).

As part of the week’s activities, I had the humbling experience of moderating a discussion with Kaya and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Director of K-12 Education, Robert Hughes , before an audience of NMIP district leaders responsible for doing the hard work of implementing a new math curriculum, professional learning experiences, and student supports.

As LA Unified School District Chief Academic Officer Frances Baez shared: “Being a part of this community of practice with like-minded leaders in similar districts allows us to not only share in the challenge but support our collective agency to create sustainable systemic change.”

During the convening, which was facilitated by Dr. Bryant and Hillary Knudson, districts focused on not just shared challenges – but the greatest levers – for overcoming persistent (and pervasive) gaps in math outcomes.

Here are a few takeaways:

• Quality and Alignment of Materials. Students don’t (yet) have equitable access to the sort of high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) that enable the most effective instruction. Alignment across multiple dimensions of the student experience is also a challenge. For example, lack of cohesion across materials used during core instruction, intervention, and after-school tutoring can hinder acceleration
• Educator Capacity Building. Building the capacity of educators goes beyond professional learning. It has to include both current - and future - leaders. Many teachers are not (yet) steeped in math pedagogy and best practices, and many lack the content knowledge necessary to support students with grade-level content.
• Math Mindset. There is a popularized narrative, echoed by both district leaders and the general public, that math is not for everyone.

Interested in learning more about NMIP? You can check their website here.

In this week’s edition of Notes, we round up the “Top 5 Articles of the Week.”

We’re also covering:

• Are Graduate Degrees Worth the Investment?
• Three Takeaways From GAO’s Postmortem on Better FAFSA
• What’s Really Being Taught in U.S. History Classes

Top 5 “What We’re Reading” Articles of the Week

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1. Balancing Books And Babies: Challenges Of Student Parents In College [Forbes, subscription model]
2. Report: HBCUs need more funding now to keep pace with digital demands [University Business]
3. The employment power pendulum is always swinging. Here's how workers can stay ahead. [Business Insider]
4. Opinion: Fostering economic mobility benefits all Chicagoans [Chicago Business, subscription model]
5. How to Save Outdoor Recess [The Atlantic, subscription model]

High Risk, High Reward: Are Graduate Degrees Worth the Investment?

According to a new report by the Georgetown University Center on Education and Workforce (CEW), graduate degrees (masters, professional, and doctoral) still have the highest potential income yield of any credential—but rising costs of attainment, increased debt loads, and uneven job prospects are eroding confidence in their ROI.

By the numbers:

• Total graduate enrollment increased 49% between 2000-2020, but direct graduate degree costs (net tuition and fees) have more than tripled in the same time frame.
• Ballooning cost of attainment leads to increased pressure to take on debt. Since 2000, the median debt principal among graduate student borrowers has risen from $34,000 to $50,000, a 47% increase.
• Workers with graduate degrees also earn 57% more than other workers, with a median earnings of $99K (compared to $63,000 for all other full-time workers).

Disproportionate debt burdens: There are two federal loan options to help pay for graduate degrees: Direct Unsubsidized Stafford loans and Grad PLUS. Just 16% of all graduate student borrowers take out Grad Plus loans, but these loans account for one-third (32%) of all federal loan disbursements to graduate students. Grad PLUS borrowers are more likely to be low income (68% earning less than $30,000) and enrolled in a high-cost program. Grad PLUS borrowers are also more likely to be from historically marginalized groups, with Black/African American students particularly overrepresented.

Why it matters: Unlike Direct Unsubsidized Stafford loans, Grad PLUS loans have no annual or aggregate (or, lifetime) borrowing limit. Instead, Grad PLUS loan eligibility caps at an institution’s cost of attendance, meaning that institutions—many of which view graduate studies as a lucrative aspect of their business model and currently have no regulatory incentive to keep the costs of graduate programs affordable—exacerbate debt burdens.

What’s next: There’s been an increased focus on the ROI of graduate programs in DC policy conversations. The new Gainful Employment rules include a Financial Value Transparency framework, which will require graduate students to acknowledge viewing information on cost, expected earnings, and debt burden before they enroll.

Three Takeaways From GAO’s Postmortem on Better FAFSA

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) finally completed its investigation into the Department of Education’s (ED) flawed development and catastrophic rollout of the 2023-24 “Better FAFSA” form. This long-awaited report was released as two documents and culminated with a House subcommittee hearing on Tuesday.

Key findings:

1. ED knew the form could be delayed as early as August 2022. That month, the Department started shifting the Better FAFSA rollout timeline from October to December 2023, but didn’t announce the possibility of a delay until March 2023—seven months later.
2. Staffing was a huge problem. Over three-quarters of the 5.4 million calls made to ED’s call center went unanswered during the first five months of the Better FAFSA rollout due to short staffing and poor projections of demand. In the first month of the rollout, ED had just 902 call center workers, a little more than half the number of workers available at the same time during the previous FAFSA cycle (1,649).
3. ED failed to notify students of financial aid adjustments. Over 500,000 students were not made aware when their aid estimate changed either due to corrections or a calculation error, leaving them to make decisions between colleges—or, college at all—without accurate financial aid information.

Low income students were, unsurprisingly, the most impacted by these failures. Application volume decreased most dramatically for independent students making less than $30,000 and dependent students with household income between $30-48,000. Overall applicant volume is still down about 9% for the 2023-24 cycle compared to the previous year, according to the National College Attainment Network (NCAN).

Go deeper: Read more from Inside Higher Ed, NPR, and Politico (subscription model).

Looking forward: A recent letter from ED outlines its aspirations for the 2024-25 FAFSA, including predictable timelines and launch dates, complete form functionality; and improved resource availability for students, families, counselors, and financial aid administrators. ED will also begin beta testing the new FAFSA with select organizations on October 1, the form’s historic launch date. GAO, whose representatives expressed concern about ED’s preparation for the upcoming cycle during the House hearing, will continue to investigate the Better FAFSA fallout and expects to conclude its work early next year.

What’s Really Being Taught in U.S. History Classes

Key findings from a major new study on U.S. history education reveal a wide variety of practices in classrooms, as teachers navigate political pressures, limited resources, and evolving digital tools.

Why it matters: With debates over how history is taught at an all-time high, the American Historical Association’s (AHA) comprehensive report provides fresh insights into what’s actually happening in history classrooms. The research involved a 50-state analysis of standards, a 3,000-educator survey, and a review of instructional materials across the country. [The New York Times, subscription model]

Key takeaways:

• Civil Rights Movement and the American Revolution dominate: These two periods remain top priorities for teachers, with 80% of respondents emphasizing them in their curriculum. Yet, educators struggle to cover lesser-known topics like Native American history before colonization and recent historical events, with many requesting more support and training in these.
• Digital over traditional: Over three-quarters of teachers rely on free online resources like federal archives and PBS Learning Media, while only about half use traditional textbooks. Teachers say digital resources help them more effectively engage students who are less willing to read large sections from textbooks.
• Supplemental tools on the rise: Teachers are increasingly turning to learning platforms like BrainPOP to build students' background knowledge and Kahoot to make learning more interactive. These tools are popular for their ability to make complex historical topics accessible and engaging through learning activities that include quizzes and animated videos, helping to boost student participation in the classroom. Researchers caution that relying on resources from across the internet can make it difficult to maintain a consistent, high-quality curriculum, and underscored the need to ensure materials come from reputable sources. [Education Week]
• Political pressures at play: Teachers report feeling the tension from both sides of the political spectrum, with some progressive districts leaning into equity-focused initiatives and some conservative areas enacting restrictive laws around “divisive concepts.” Yet, the majority of teachers remain committed to presenting a balanced view of U.S. history.
• Inquiry-based lessons on the rise: Many teachers are turning to inquiry-driven lessons, where students analyze primary sources and form their own conclusions. However, the AHA report warns that not all questions are well-designed, sometimes leading students to oversimplified moral judgments.

What’s next: As debates over history education continue, the AHA’s findings offer a roadmap for how teachers and policymakers can better support educators in delivering comprehensive and balanced U.S. history lessons.

Quick Takes

NYC Schools Chancellor Announces Retirement

New York City Schools Chancellor David Banks, who has served as chancellor for nearly three years, announced his retirement effective December 31, 2024. Banks emphasized that his decision to step down was not related to ongoing federal investigations into Mayor Eric Adams and highlighted his commitment to a smooth transition. Deputy Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos will succeed Banks. Aviles-Ramos, who was born and raised in the Bronx, started in the district as a high school English teacher in 2007 and then rose to be a principal, acting superintendent, and Banks’ chief of staff. [Chalkbeat]

Report: Few Schools Lead in Student Learning Gains

A new report by TNTP highlights how a small group of U.S. public schools has achieved exceptional success in helping students who have fallen behind academically to catch up. The report reveals that only five percent of elementary and middle schools are able to accelerate learning by more than 1.3 years per academic year, allowing students to catch up to grade level before they move on. These schools, dubbed "Opportunity Makers," have maintained this growth for over a decade by focusing on three key areas: fostering a sense of belonging, ensuring consistent delivery of grade-level content, and building coherent instructional programs.

People on the Move

• Rose Else-Mitchell, former President of Education Solutions at Scholastic, joined the Science of Reading Center at SUNY New Paltz as Executive Director. Kymyona Burk, Senior Policy Fellow at the Foundation for Excellence in Education, also joins the Center as Visiting Senior Fellow.
• Education reporter Trisha Powell Crain announced on X (formerly known as Twitter) that she will be moving on from AL.com after eight years.

Upcoming Events and Convenings

• Jobs for the Future: The Outlook for Workforce and Education Policy, September 30 from 3:30-4:45 p.m. ET, Virtual
• Raising Up: Uplifting Student Parent Mental Health, September 30 at 4 p.m. ET, Virtual
• Riipen: The power of work-based learning, October 1 at 1 p.m. ET, Virtual
• SmartLab: Critical Factors for STEM Program Sustainability, October 2 from 2-3 p.m. ET, Virtual
• StartEd: EdTech Week 2024, October 8-10, New York City
• Council of the Great City Schools: 68th Annual Fall Conference, October 16-20, Dallas, TX
• Competency-Based Education Network: Exploring Skills-Based Innovations to Address Math Pathways for Adults, October 17 from 2-3 p.m. CT, Virtual
• University Innovation Alliance: National Summit on Student Success Innovation, October 23-25, Tempe, AZ
• Quality Matters: QM Connect Conference, November 3-6, Rosemont, IL (Features a half-day AI Spotlight on November 6)
• Competency-Based Education Network: CBExchange 2024, November 11-14, Colorado Springs, CO
• Complete College America: All In: The 2024 CCA Annual Convening, November 18-20, Indianapolis, IN

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