Avoidable Losses: High-Stakes Accountability and the Drop-Out Crisis is a longitudinal analysis over a seven-year period of more than 271,000 students in high-poverty high schools in an urban Texas school district. According to this research, the current accountability system, first developed in Texas and later incorporated into the No Child Left Behind Act, is complicit in the growing dropout rate that affects Texas and other states. Ironically, this dropout crisis disproportionately affects the groups that the existing system purports to protect: Limited-English Proficient, Hispanic, and African American students. McNeil, L. M., Coppola, E., Radigan, J., Vasquez Heilig, J. (2008), Avoidable losses: High-stakes accountability and the dropout crisis. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 16(3). Retrieved on March 19, 2008, from http://epaa.asu.edu/epaa/v16n3/.

A report from ETS's Policy Information Center, "America's Perfect Storm: Three Forces Changing Our Nation's Future," looks at the convergence of powerful sociological and economical forces that are changing the future of the United States. According to the report, this country is under the pressure of three forces: wide disparity in literacy and numeracy skills among the nation's school-age and adult population, profound economic changes in wealth sources and international trade, and sweeping demographic changes in the composition of the labor force. ETS research argues that if current policies are maintained, it is highly likely America will grow apart with increasing inequality and social and political polarization. However, existing trends can be overturned through the implementation of policies that will improve overall levels of learning and skills and decrease existing inequalities. See Executive Summary at:

http://www.ets.org/Media/Education_Topics/pdf/ExecSummAmPerfectStorm.pdf

"Tough Choices or Tough Times" was published by the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce created by the National Center in Education and the Economy (NCEE). The 26-member commission includes former Cabinet secretaries of labor and education, Senators, Members of Congress, school superintendents, CEOs of major firms, union leaders, and governors. The Commission released its recommendations to the public on December 14, 2006. "Tough Choices or Tough Times" shows how the dynamics of the global economy will lead to the decline in the American standard of living. In order to keep America's position in the world economy, the study proposes a thorough overhaul of the U.S. education system. See Executive Summary at:

http://www.skillscommission.org/pdf/exec_sum/ToughChoices_EXECSUM.pdf

A recent report from the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation finds that only eight states can claim moderate success at increasing the percentage of minority students who are at or above proficiency level in reading, math or science. According to “The Fordham Report 2006: How Well Are States Educating Our Neediest Children?” thirty-one states have made minimal progress among minority students, while thirteen have posted no gains for these students. For more information visit:

http://www.edexcellence.net/foundation/global/page.cfm?id=388#TFR06achievetrend

"What Education Schools Aren’t Teaching" is a study conducted by National Council on Teacher Quality. It analyses the reading syllabi of aspiring teachers. Results show that only 15 percent of the 72 education schools studied provide future teachers with minimal exposure to the best practices of reading instruction.

http://www.nctq.org/nctq/images/nctq_reading_study_app.pdf May 2006.