Some good news about public schools

Posted by on September 30, 2005

[posted from Public Education Network newsblast]

SOME GOOD NEWS ABOUT PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Criticism of public education has become so rampant that many Americans are left wondering whether anything is going right with public schools. Negative media reports about education, publicity about schools that don’t meet state standards or federal accountability requirements, and disparaging comments from critics of public education can contribute to the misimpression that public education is in worse shape than ever — and that?s just not the case. U.S. public schools have improved in many ways since the movement to reform education by raising standards first took shape 20 years ago, says the Washington-based Center on Education Policy. In its recent report, “Do You Know the Latest Good News About American Education?”, CEP looks at positive trends and outlines 24 indicators of success in five main categories: school participation and course-taking, student achievement, school climate and public support, teachers, and higher education. “By plainly stating the facts and graphing the numbers, we hope to dispel common misconceptions about public schools.” It also points to areas where more work needs to be done to ensure that all students receive a quality education.

http://www.cep-dc.org/pubs/LatestGoodNews/LatestGoodNewsAug05.pdf