A rare day in education when we can say something's working | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com

A rare day in education when we can say something's working | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com:

Posted: 2:00 a.m. Thursday, July 11, 2013

A rare day in education when we can say something's working 

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By Maureen Downey

Several recent high-profile reportss give rise to a seldom-heard statement in the education community: Something's working.

The preferred narrative today --- especially in state legislatures --- is that public education is hopelessly broken, and the only recourse is to provide parents with escape routes through vouchers or private school tax credits, which Georgia has done. Many members of the Georgia General Assembly have been on a public education death watch for years.

Another common theme is that raising the performance of low-income children is a near-impossible goal, that the burdens of poverty are too onerous and beyond the reach of any reform efforts.

A new federal update on the long-term performance of American students contradicts both those narratives.

Assessing U.S. students on a set of benchmarks that have essentially remained unchanged fo