The Education Policy Hotlist
Top news in U.S. education policy for the week of February 12th
Welcome back to the Education Policy Hotlist, your weekly digest of the most essential news in education policy!
This week, we bring you the most recent data on how schools are bouncing back from the pandemic, the best methods and approaches to improve student learning outcomes, the current trends and difficulties in student enrollment and the teacher workforce, and the new initiatives and models that seek to promote STEM and early childhood education.
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Mark Your Calendars
Scaling and sustaining high-quality tutoring
FutureEd is hosting a webinar that will feature experts from the National Student Support Accelerator, the Great Oaks Foundation, Teach for America, and a Texas elementary school, who will share their insights and experiences on how to implement and maintain effective tutoring programs for students recovering from the pandemic. The webinar will occur on February 22, 2024, at 12:30 pm ET. You can register here.
Navigating financial management for education nonprofits
Bellwether Education Partners is bringing together nonprofit leaders and board members to discuss how they have overcome financial management challenges and built resilient and sustainable organizations. The webinar is based on a recent publication by Bellwether, Secure and Resilient: A Financial Management Guide for Education Nonprofits. The webinar will occur on February 23, 2024, at 2:00 pm ET. You can register here.
Data, Assessment, and Accountability
How data sharing can boost military recruitment and student success
The U.S. Navy, again, relaxed its entry requirements following a decision in December 2022 to allow more low-scoring recruits on the Armed Forces Qualification Test. The Navy said the policy change will expand the pool of qualified and motivated applicants who can earn their GED while serving in the Navy. However, other military branches have not followed suit, and some experts have raised concerns about the impact of lower standards on the quality and readiness of the force. In a new piece, Jim Cowen writes, "State education leaders are proposing the development of a data sharing agreement enabling any state to partner with Department of Defense to add state-specific enlistment and service data into their respective longitudinal data systems."
Accountability policies may not lead to more equitable school spending
A new Alliance for Excellent Education publication examines the relationship between accountability policies and school spending patterns. The publication analyzes data from the National Center for Education Statistics and the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) state plans and finds that accountability policies have little or no effect on how schools allocate their resources. The publication suggests that accountability policies alone are not enough to ensure that schools spend their funds in ways that promote equity and excellence. Key findings include:
In every state but one, at least 25% of identified schools spent less per-pupil following their identification for extra support, not more.
The reason some identified schools spent less overall per pupil after identification stemmed more often from declines in spending from state and local sources than federal ones.
The declines in overall per-pupil spending at identified schools were often significant.
Student surveys may not be the best tools for evaluating teacher performance
A new article from Education Next challenges the validity and reliability of student surveys as a measure of teacher effectiveness. The article reviews the research and practice of using student surveys for teacher evaluation. It identifies several limitations and drawbacks, such as low response rates, bias, inconsistency, and lack of alignment with other indicators. Student surveys should not be used as a high-stakes tool for teacher accountability but rather as a low-stakes tool for teacher feedback and improvement.
Pandemic Recovery
Harvard economist warns of the lasting impact of the pandemic on students
A new interview with Thomas Kane highlights the urgent need for more support and intervention for students affected by the pandemic. Kane estimates that students are behind an average of six months in learning and that the achievement gap between low-income and high-income students has widened. He also cautions that the federal relief funds for education will expire soon and that states and districts need to plan how to sustain and scale up effective practices. He calls for more evaluation to identify what doesn’t work in addressing the learning loss.
Pro-tip: Don’t miss the New York Times’ coverage of this research.
“Despite the high stakes and the imminent end of federal relief funding, many schools still don’t know which interventions are working. As states and districts rushed to hire tutors and sign contracts, many failed to record which programs helped students the most.”
High-impact tutoring can help mitigate learning loss for K-8 students
A new article features an interview with the CEO of Saga Education, a nonprofit organization that provides high-impact tutoring to students in grades 6-12. They share the results of a recent study that shows that Saga’s tutoring model can significantly reduce learning loss for K-8 students in New Jersey, especially in math. The article also discusses the challenges and opportunities of scaling up high-impact tutoring and the implications for education policy and practice.
“We use pre-service educators as tutors. Meaning they have to have 60 school credit hours or more. In many cases, this is the first experience pre-service educators we work with have sitting one-on-one or in small groups with scholars and seeing what a difference they can make.”
A new article explores how schools can increase students’ time on academic skills
A new article from Education Progress explores how schools can help students spend more time on academic skills, such as reading, writing, and math. Chad Aldeman reviews the evidence and practice of various strategies, such as extending the school day or year, reducing non-academic activities, and using technology and personalized learning. There are trade-offs and challenges in implementing these strategies and the implications for equity and quality. Chad suggests that schools need to balance the quantity and quality of time on academic skills and consider the needs and preferences of students and families.
Education Technology
Kids online health & safety listening session
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the White House recently convened a listening session focused on online health and safety for children. During the session, NTIA Assistant Secretary Alan Davidson emphasized their mission to ensure people thrive online, beyond mere internet access. This session highlights the need for robust policies to protect young users in the digital realm. This initiative underscores the importance of proactive online safety policies that can address our children’s known and unknown challenges online.
Education companies need to align with governors’ K-12 agendas
A recent analysis by Education Week Market Brief, a publication that covers the education industry, reveals that education companies need to pay attention to the priorities and initiatives of state governors, who have significant influence over K-12 policy and funding. The analysis identifies four common themes across governors’ agendas: recovery from the pandemic, workforce development, equity and access, and innovation and technology. Education companies offering solutions and support in these areas are more likely to succeed in the competitive and complex K-12 market.
Teacher Workforce
A Nation at Risk offers critical lessons for reinvigorating America’s teacher workforce
A new article from the Brookings Institution revisits the landmark report A Nation at Risk, released in 1983, which sparked a national debate on education reform. The article focuses on the report's teacher quality and professionalism recommendations and argues that they are still relevant and urgent today. The authors call for more investment and innovation in teacher preparation, recruitment, retention, and development and more respect and autonomy for teachers as leaders and experts. Policymakers and educators should learn from the past and act for the future of America’s teacher workforce.
“Looking back at the various approaches to shoring up the teacher pipeline, I categorize these policy actions into two types. Actions that seek to shore up weak points in the teacher workforce and recruit more into the profession I call “outside-in” reforms, as they see the primary challenge of teaching as a failure to attract and retain the best talent (think of alternative certification or loan forgiveness policies). Another approach sees the failure to support and develop talent within the workforce as the primary challenge. I call these “inside-out” initiatives (think of NBPTS or career ladders).”
The state of the education workforce is strong, with 160,000 jobs added in 2023
According to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data, Chad Aldeman writes that the education sector added 160,000 jobs in 2023. The article attributes the growth to the increased demand for teachers, counselors, and support staff and the federal stimulus funds that helped schools cope with the pandemic. Yet, the education workforce still faces teacher shortages, burnout, and diversity gaps.
Enrollment
Public school enrollment drops to lowest level in two decades
New National Center for Education Statistics data reveals that K-12 students attending public schools remain 2% below pre-pandemic 2019 levels. The data also showed wide variation across states, with some experiencing growth and others facing steep losses. Louisiana (5 percent) and the District of Columbia (2 percent) had the most significant increases. Experts suggest that schools must re-engage with families who leave the public system and address the learning and social needs of the remaining students.
Early Childhood Education
A new data framework aims to transform preschool systems for equity
A new publication from Child Trends presents a data framework to help preschool systems improve their quality and equity. The framework, called System Transformation for Equitable Preschools (STEP) Forward, consists of four domains: access, quality, outcomes, and equity. The publication provides indicators, measures, data sources for each domain, and examples of how states and localities can use the framework to inform their decision-making and action. Data can be a powerful tool for advancing equity and excellence in early childhood education.
STEM
A study finds that STEM endorsement leads to higher college enrollment and persistence
A new study from the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University examines the impact of STEM endorsement for high school students. This high school graduation requirement allows students to choose a specific area of focus, such as science, technology, engineering, or math. The study finds that students who earned the STEM endorsement were likelier to enroll and persist in college, especially in STEM-related fields than those who did not. The study also finds that STEM endorsement positively affects students from low-income and underrepresented backgrounds, suggesting that it can help narrow the opportunity gap in STEM education.
Dr. Christine Pitts is an executive leader advancing evidence-based public policy for social impact. Follow her on LinkedIn and Instagram for more updates.
This was a great wrap up. Thank you, Christine!