New Report Card on American Education

ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council, today released their latest Report Card on American Education.

The annual report looks at both student performance and inputs into the education system, evaluating what works and what doesn’t. The report also includes model legislation for state lawmakers.

Reforms like improving teacher quality, expanding students’ learning options, and measuring results and holding schools accountable have proved successful. Florida’s pioneering reform efforts have shown that a reform strategy that accomplishes our “assignments” can lead to dramatic academic improvement, particularly among those children who are most at risk.

The question is no longer whether education reforms work, but whether reformers can succeed in overcoming the powerful opposition and changing the status quo. That is, can education reforms succeed in the political arena to deliver the kind of education system American students deserve and need for the 21st century?

You can purchase the book, or download a PDF version here.

Additionally, each state is profiled, with rankings on both educational performance and school reform. You can get the Pennsylvania profile here.