A report by the Center on Education Policy released yesterday found that math and reading scores generally have increased since the No Child Left Behind Act was implemented — giving fodder to the administration and lawmakers as they work to renew the federal law this year.
The report was designed as a comprehensive analysis of data sets from all 50 states, looking at elementary, middle and high school levels. It was issued while Education Secretary Margaret Spellings and allies on Capitol Hill were trying to renew the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002, President Bush’s signature domestic accomplishment.
Mrs. Spellings said the report “confirms that No Child Left Behind has struck a chord of success with our nation’s schools and students.”
Neal McCluskey, education policy analyst at the Cato Institute, disputed Mrs. Spellings’ assertion. “Nothing even approaching such confirmation can be found in the CEP or any other NCLB report,” he said.
Mr. McCluskey said the Center on Education Policy report makes it clear that relatively few states had adequate test data to obtain a clear picture.
“What we don’t know about NCLB’s effects is much greater than what we do know,” he said.
The report found that 13 states submitted enough years of data to specifically compare test trends before and after the federal education act was implemented. Of those states, nine showed greater average yearly test score gains after the federal law took effect.
In general, the report said, the number of states showing achievement gains since 2002 “is far greater” than the number showing declines.
The most improvement was found in elementary math, where 37 of the 41 states with such data showed moderate to large proficiency gains.
The report noted that it’s “very difficult if not impossible” to credit gains directly to No Child Left Behind, because states, schools and districts simultaneously enacted other policies to boost achievement. It also found that data sometimes were inadequate.
The report showed a narrowing of achievement gaps among student subgroups. Fourteen of the 38 states with the necessary data had narrowed the reading gap between white and black subgroups across all three analyzed grade spans. Still, the report noted that “sizable” gaps often remained.
Despite efforts by the White House and some lawmakers, education analysts and advocates are skeptical about renewal of the federal education law.
Congressional Democrats who will play key roles in the process were encouraged by the report yesterday but said much work remains.
“This study offers initial evidence that the hard work of teachers, principals and school administrators across the country is beginning to pay off,” said Rep. George Miller, California Democrat and chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee. “Even with this progress, we still have a long way to go to close the academic achievement gap.”
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, the Massachusetts Democrat who leads the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said the progress is encouraging but “we must also do better to promote rigor and relevance in America’s classrooms.”
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