do schools challenge our students?

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Do Schools Challenge Our StudentsWhat Student Surveys Tell Us About

the State o Education in the United States

Ulrich Boser and Lindsay Rosenthal July 10, 2012

www.americanprogress.o



Do Schools ChallengeOur Students?What Student Surveys Tell Us About

the State o Education in the United States

Ulrich Boser and Lindsay Rosenthal July 10, 2012



Contents 1 Introduction and summary

7 Background

11 National survey data

13 Methods

15 Our findings

23 Recommendations

27 About the authors

28 Endnotes



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Introduction and summary

You migh hink ha he naion’s eenagers are drowning in schoolwork. Images

o sullen sudens buried in exbooks oen grace he covers o popular paren-

ing magazines, while well-heeled suburban eenagers oen complain hey have o

work he hours o a corporae lawyer in order o nish heir school projecs and

homework assignmens. Bu when we recenly examined a ederal survey o su-

dens in elemenary and high schools around he counry, we ound he opposie:

Many sudens are no being challenged in school.

Consider, or insance, ha 37 percen o ourh- graders say ha heir mah work

is oo easy. More han a hird o high-school seniors repor ha hey hardly ever

wrie abou wha hey read in class. In a compeiive global economy where he

masery o science is increasingly crucial, 72 percen o eighh-grade science

sudens say he aren’ being augh engineering and echnology, according o our

analysis o a ederal daabase.

Tese ndings come a a key ime. Researchers increasingly believe ha suden

surveys can provide imporan insighs ino a eacher’s eeciveness. When he Bill

& Melinda Gaes Foundaion released ndings rom heir Measures o Eecive

eaching (ME) Projec in 2011, hey ound ha suden eedback was a ar beter

predicor o a eacher’s perormance han more radiional indicaors o success such

as wheher a eacher had a maser’s degree or no. Te mouning evidence on he

imporance o suden surveys has also been shaping policy a he sae and local

level, and a variey o groups dedicaed o he improvemen o eaching—such as

he New eacher Projec, a nonpro ha works o advance policies and pracices

o ensure eecive eaching in every classroom—have been incorporaing suden

surveys ino heir eacher evaluaion and cericaion process.1

Given he signicance o his growing body o research on suden surveys, we

examined one o he riches sources o naional suden survey daa and con-

duced an analysis o he background surveys o he Naional Assessmen o

Educaional Progress.2 Known as he Naion’s Repor Card, hese assessmens are



2 ct am pg | d shl chllg ou stut?

adminisered every wo years by he Naional Cener or Educaion Saisics. We

looked specically a he suden quesionnaire, which collecs suden-repored

inormaion on demographics and classroom experiences.

In reviewing he daa, we examined a number o issues ha rack curren debaes

over educaion policy and research. Given he recen debaes over academic san-dards, or insance, we looked closely a issues o rigor and suden expecaions. Do

sudens hink ha hey are being challenged enough? Do eachers engage sudens

in deep learning opporuniies? We were also ineresed in issues o access since su-

dens provide an imporan, classroom-eye view o he resources ha are available o

hem. Are all sudens being given access o he ypes o learning opporuniies ha

hey need o be prepared or college and he modern workplace? Are hose resources

disribued airly among dieren ypes o sudens and schools?

Among our ndings:

• Many schools are not challenging students and large percentages of students

report that their school work is “too easy.” 3 I sudens are going o succeed in

he compeiive global economy, hey need o be exposed o a rigorous curricu-

lum. Bu many sudens believe heir class work is oo easy. weny-nine percen

o eighh-grade mah sudens naionwide, or insance, repor ha heir mah

work is oen or always oo easy.4 In some saes like Virginia, nearly a hird o

middle-school sudens repored heir work was oen or always oo easy.

Tis nding was consisen across grades and subjec mater. We ound ha 51

percen o eighh-grade civics sudens and 57 percen o eighh-grade hisory

sudens repor ha heir work is oen or always oo easy. Elemenary school

sudens also revealed ha hey aren’ being challenged by heir mah work—37

percen o ourh-grade sudens repored ha heir mah work is oen or always

oo easy. Among high school sudens, 21 percen o 12h-graders said heir mah

work was oen or always oo easy, while 56 percen and 55 percen respecively

ound heir civics and hisory work oen or always oo easy.

• Many students are not engaged in rigorous learning activities. Almos a hird

o eighh-grade sudens repor reading ewer han ve pages a day eiher in schoolor or homework. Ta’s below wha many expers recommend or sudens in

middle school.5 Eighh-grade sudens across he counry also repor ha hey

rarely wrie lenghy answers o reading quesions on ess: approximaely one-hird

o sudens wrie long answers on reading ess wice per year or less.



itut ummy | www.mg.

Te issues are similar a he high school-level. Tiry-nine percen o 12 h-grade

sudens, or example, say ha hey hardly ever or only once or wice a monh

wrie abou wha hey read in class. Nearly one-hird said hey wrie long answers

on reading ess wo imes a year or less. Moreover, almos one-hird o 12h-grade

reading sudens say hey rarely ideniy main hemes o a passage when reading,

and almos 20 percen said hey never or hardly ever summarize a passage.

Noe, however, ha hese daa do no measure he qualiy o he work ha su-

dens are perorming in class—and he qualiy o he work can make a big di-

erence in how much sudens learn. Sudens migh be reading jus a ew, very

rigorous pages every day, or insance. Bu given overall low reading scores—and

he degree o which more reading promoes more learning—we believe hese

resuls should be cause or alarm.

• Students don’t have access to key science and technology learning opportuni-

ties. For oday’s sudens, being prepared or college and he modern workorcemeans having access o high-qualiy curriculum maerials in criical subjec

areas like mah and science. Bu our analysis ound ha mos eenagers say heir

schools don’ provide imporan learning opporuniies in science and echnol-

ogy. For insance, 72 percen o eighh-grade science sudens say hey are no

augh abou engineering and echnology.

• Too many students don’t understand their teacher’s questions and report that

they are not learning during class. Naionwide, less han wo-hirds o middle-

school mah sudens repor ha hey eel like hey are always or almos always

learning in mah class. Similarly, jus under 50 percen o 12 h-grade mah sudens

said hey eel like hey are always or almos always learning in heir mah class.

Sudens also oen repor diculy undersanding heir eacher’s quesions.

weny-ve percen o middle school mah sudens repor ha hey some-

imes or hardly ever undersand wha heir eacher asks. Tiry-six percen o

12h-graders repor hey someimes or hardly ever clearly undersand wha heir

mah eacher asks.

•

Students from disadvantaged background are less likely to have access tomore rigorous learning opportunities. All sudens, regardless o heir amily

background, should have access o a high-qualiy educaion. Bu our analysis o

suden eedback ound ha sudens rom disadvanaged backgrounds are less

likely o have he same access o robus learning opporuniies. Consider, or

72 percent o

eighth-grade

science stude

say they are n

taught about

engineering a

technology.



itut ummy | www.mg.

• Researchers and educators should continue to develop student surveys. We

hope his repor launches addiional research ino he use o suden surveys.

Researchers such as Ronald Ferguson, senior lecurer in educaion and public

policy and direcor o he Achievemen Gap Iniiaive a Harvard Universiy,

have made signican advances which we describe below. Bu we need o

know much more abou hese ools, and wha hey reveal abou he sudenexperience.

Over he pas ew years, many saes have engaged in promising reorms ha

address he issues we raise in his repor. Bu our ndings sugges we need o

do ar more o improve he learning experience or all sudens. We hope ha

he ineracive sae-by-sae maps available on our websie—ogeher wih he

ndings and recommendaions in he ollowing pages—will inspire engagemen

wih sudens’ perspecives in he search o nd new and beter ways o provide

sudens wih he knowledge and skills ha hey need o succeed.




In several respecs, he ripod surveys could be called he “nex generaion” o

suden surveys. In conras o oher suden surveys, he ripod surveys are admin-

isered a he classroom level wih muliple versions ailored or dieren grade-level

bands. Te ripod surveys are designed around wha Ferguson calls he “7 C’s

Framework.”11 Te “C’s” relae o a eacher’s abiliy o explain conceps clearly, gauge

wheher heir sudens undersand he maerial, and demonsrae ha hey care abouhe suden’s learning and overall well-being. When eachers are doing well across

all seven measures, Ferguson argues, sudens will be engaged in wha is going on in

he classroom—“hrough he engagemen, hey’re going o do he work ha leads o

more learning.”12

One o he more surprising resuls o Ferguson’s early research is he degree

o which suden engagemen maters. A he core o he ripod survey is he

idea ha i’s key o insill “a love o learning” in sudens. In oher words, su-

den engagemen comes beore suden achievemen. Te Measures o Eecive

eaching projec also shows ha here is a robus relaionship beween su-dens who were in classrooms wih eachers ha perormed well on he 7 C’s

Framework and suden learning. o underscore he poin: Fiy percen o

sudens a he lower-25h percenile o classrooms—classrooms where sudens’

scores were lower han 75 percen o heir peers on sandardized ess—agree wih

he saemen, “My eacher explains dicul hings clearly.” In comparison, 79 per-

cen o sudens a he upper-75h percenile o classrooms—classrooms where

sudens’ scores were above 75 percen o heir peers on sandardized ess—agree

wih he saemen, “My eacher explains dicul hings clearly.”13 In addiion,

40 percen o sudens a he lower-25h percenile o classrooms agreed wih he

saemen, “Schoolwork is ineresing,” while 67 percen o sudens in he upper-

75h percenile o classrooms agreed wih ha saemen.14

Te Measures o Eecive eaching resuls hold a grea deal o promise or new

evaluaions sysems, and, given he signicance o he ndings, a number o orga-

nizaions have begun o implemen suden surveys ino heir evaluaion sysems.

Te New eacher Projec, or insance, has incorporaed suden surveys ino is

eacher evaluaion and raining, arguing ha while suden surveys are no a replace-

men or oher reliable measures, hey can provide valuable eedback.15 Educaors 4

Excellence, a eacher-led nonpro organizaion dedicaed o educaion policy, hasalso argued ha he use o suden surveys or eacher evaluaion in New York Ciy

public schools is a necessary ingredien or a robus eacher-evaluaion sysem. Teir

repor oulining he elemens o a high-qualiy eacher-evaluaion sysem included

At the core o

the Tripod survey

is the idea that

it’s key to instill “a

love o learning” in

students.



Bkgu | www.mg.

suden surveys as 10 percen o a eacher’s overall evaluaion.16 Naionwide, more

han 11 saes have recommended ha suden surveys be incorporaed eiher as a

required or an opional measure in heir eacher evaluaion sysems.17

Moreover, he implicaions o he suden survey research srech well beyond

eacher issues. Oher organizaions have used suden surveys or a variey o purposes. Te Council o Chie Sae School Ocers, or example, recenly

began using suden surveys o gauge alignmen beween classroom insrucional

pracice and sae sandards. Rhode Island also uilizes a suden survey called

“SurveyWorks,” which asks sudens abou heir overall school experience, learn-

ing aciviies, school resources and condiions, and school saey, among oher

areas o concern. Alhough hese surveys are no ied o eacher evaluaion, hey

do srive o capure suden voices.



ntl uy t | www.mg.

National survey data

o help shine a ligh on he imporance o suden surveys—and o ge a beter

sense o wha’s happening in he classroom—we decided o examine one o he

riches sources o naional suden survey daa. Specically, we conduced an

analysis o he background surveys o he 2009 and 2011 Naional Assessmen

o Educaional Progress.18 Known as he “naion’s repor card,” he Naional

Assessmen o Educaional Progress survey is adminisered every wo years by he

Naional Cener or Educaion Saisics.

Te Naional Assessmen o Educaion Progress survey is quie dieren rom

he ripod surveys we highlighed earlier. Te ripod surveys were developed

over a 10-year period o answer specic quesions abou eaching eeciveness,

he overall classroom learning environmen, and suden engagemen, whereas

he Naional Assessmen o Educaion Progress survey has been developed in

a more ad-hoc ashion since he 1990s.19 Furher, he ull version o he ripod

surveys are also more lenghy (abou 20-30 minues or each quesionnaire)

and ailored o dieren grade level bands, while he Naional Assessmen o

Educaion Progress background quesionnaires are much simpler. Tey do no

vary much by grade level, and hey are inended o ake only abou 10 minues

o a suden’s ime o complee.20

For is par, he Naional Assessmen Governing Board recenly released a repor

iled “NAEP Background Quesions: An Underused Naional Resource,” which

oulined plans o improve he Naional Assessmen o Educaion Progress back-

ground quesionnaire. Te repor explains ha while he background quesion-

naire has been pared down in recen years, he Naional Assessmen Governing

Board plans o inves in renewed developmen o he survey. I hopes ha

improvemens o he survey will urn he background quesionnaire ino a moreuseul source o inormaion.21



Mth | www.mg.

Methods

In preparing his paper, we examined background quesionnaires rom he 2009,

2010, and 2011 Naional Assessmen o Educaion Progress. We looked a ourh,

eighh, and 12h grade surveys and used he mos curren daa available or each

subjec area. Te mah and reading daa are rom 2011; hisory and civics daa are

rom 2010; and he science daa are rom 2009. We downloaded he daa rom he

websie or our analysis in he winer and spring o 2012.

Bu here are some limiaions o our analysis ha should be noed. In a handul o saes, or insance, no enough sudens ook he survey o provide reliable resuls,

so daa rom ha sae is eiher missing or responses o cerain aspecs o he survey

are unavailable. Tis was especially rue or surveys o 12h graders, as ar ewer saes

adminisered enough surveys o 12h graders han or ourh and eighh graders. Te

missing responses are indicaed on he ables where relevan.

Te Naional Assessmen o Educaional Progress survey is also designed o oer

a descripive sudy o sudens naionwide and is no inended o provide inorma-

ion as o he causal relaionships beween he background variables i measures

and suden perormance.

Finally, i’s worh underscoring some o he key dierences beween he Naional

Assessmen o Educaion Progress and he ripod surveys. Te Naional Assessmen

o Educaional Progress background quesionnaire is an add-on o a sae-by-sae

assessmen. While i’s reliable and widely used, i is no mean o be a vehicle o

assess every deail o classroom pracice. In conras, he ripod survey is used on a

much smaller scale bu provides a ar more deailed look a classroom pracice.



ou g | www.mg.

Our findings Many schools are not challenging students, and large percentages

of students report that their school work is “too easy”

I sudens are going o succeed in college or he modern global economy, hey

need o be exposed o a rigorous curriculum. Bu many elemenary- and middle-

school sudens believe ha heir class work is oo easy. For insance, 29 percen

o eighh-grade mah sudens naionwide repor ha heir mah work is oen or

always oo easy. In some saes such as Virginia, nearly a hird o middle-schoolsudens repored ha heir mah work was oo easy.

Tis nding was consisen across grades and subjec mater, and we ound ha 51

percen o eighh-grade civics sudens and 57 percen o eighh-grade hisory su-

dens repor ha heir work is oen or always oo easy. Elemenary-school sudens

also revealed ha hey aren’ being challenged by heir mah work—37 percen o

ourh- grade sudens repored ha heir mah work is oen or always oo easy.

A he high-school level, sudens hough ha heir work was a bi more rigorous

bu no by much. We ound, or insance, ha 21 percen o 12h graders said heir

mah work was oen or always oo easy, and 56 percen repored heir civics work

was oo easy. Anoher 55 percen repored ha heir U.S. hisory work was oo easy.

o be sure, sudens saying ha mah is oo easy does no mean ha mah is, in

ac, oo easy or hem. In oher words, he daa reec how sudens perceive

heir work and no he acual rigor o heir work. Indeed, while many sudens are

claiming ha heir mah work is oo easy, hey are no acually perorming paricu-

larly well on mah exams. Consider, or insance, ha in mah only 40 percen o

ourh graders and 35 percen o eighh graders are perorming a grade level onhe Naional Assessmen o Educaion Progress.22 Tere are a number o poenial

reasons or his disconnec. Some o i migh speak o echnical issues such as a

gap beween local curricula and wha’s being esed by he exam. I’s also pos-

sible ha sudens do poorly on he Naional Assessmen o Educaion Progress




because hey’re no challenged in school. Wha’s clear, hough, is ha he curren

daa don’ allow or an analysis o why his is happening, and ar more research

needs o be done o increase he undersanding o wha suden percepions ell us

abou heir classroom experiences.

Many students are not engaged in rigorous learning activities

Less han one-hird o middle-school sudens repor reading ewer han ve pages

a day eiher in school or or homework. Ta’s less han he benchmark o 20 min-

ues o reading a day ha many lieracy expers recommend or sudens. Middle-

school sudens also repor ha hey rarely wrie lenghy answers o reading

quesions on ess, and almos a hird o sudens wrie long answers on reading

ess less han one or wice per year.

We ound similar resuls in he upper grade levels as well. For insance, nearly one-hird o 12h grade reading sudens say hey rarely are asked o ideniy main

hemes o a passage when reading. Almos 20 percen said hey never or hardly

ever summarize a passage. A hird o 12h graders repor ha hey have a class

discussion abou wha hey have read wo imes a monh or less.

Tese daa do no measure he qualiy o he work ha sudens are perorming in

class— he Naional Assessmen o Educaional Progress quesionnaire does no

address ha level o deail—and he qualiy o he work hey do in class and he

maerial hey read can make a big dierence in how much sudens learn. Sudens

migh be reading jus a ew very rigorous pages every day. Bu given he overall low

reading scores—and he degree o which more reading promoes more learning—

we believe hese resuls should be cause or alarm.

Students don’t have access to key science and technology learning

opportunities

For oday’s sudens, being prepared or college and he modern workorce means

having access o high-qualiy curriculum maerials in criical subjec areas such asmah and science. Much atenion has been paid in recen years o he imporance

o improving science, echnology, engineering, and mahemaics educaion, and

i’s clear ha many jobs in he global economy will require a deep knowledge o

mah and he sciences.



ou g | www.mg.

Bu our analysis ound ha mos eenagers say heir schools don’ provide impor-

an learning opporuniies in science and echnology. We ound, or insance, ha

72 percen o eighh-grade science sudens say hey are no augh abou engi-

neering and echnology.

Harvard’s Ferguson o he ripod survey projec also noe ha here is a lo o belearned rom comparing wha eachers have o say o wha sudens have o say.

When boh eachers and sudens agree on somehing, i’s highly likely ha heir

shared observaion is an accurae descripion o wha is going on in he classroom.

When hey disagree, however, you may need o dig deeper o nd ou wha is

going on. According o he Naional Assessmen o Educaion Progress back-

ground survey o eachers, he majoriy o eachers naionwide agree wih heir

sudens abou how much class ime is spen on hese criical subjecs. We ound

ha 64 percen o eachers naionwide also repor ha hey spend litle o no class

ime on engineering and echnology. Bu hese are crucial subjec areas when i

comes o preparing sudens or he modern workorce and are incorporaed askey componens o he Common Core or science and mah.

Too many students don’t understand their teacher’s questions

and report that they are not learning during class

Naionwide, jus 65 percen o middle-school mah sudens repor ha hey

always or almos always eel like hey are learning in mah class. Jus under 50

percen o 12h-grade mah sudens said hey always or almos always el like hey

were learning in heir mah class. Among eighh graders, hese daa vary signi-

canly by sae, and in some saes such as Washingon, only 58 percen o eighh-

grade mah sudens said ha hey el like hey were always or almos always

learning in mah class. In conras, more han 70 percen o eighh-grade sudens

in Norh Carolina repored ha hey el like hey were always or almos always

learning in mah class.

Sudens also oen repor having diculy undersanding heir eacher’s ques-

ions. weny-ve percen o middle-school mah sudens repor ha hey some-

imes or hardly ever undersand wha heir eacher asks. Tiry-six percen o 12h

graders repor hey someimes or hardly ever undersand wha heir eacher asks.

Tis is no o say here or elsewhere ha eachers are o blame or his problem.

Indeed, recenly here has been ar oo much harsh criicism o eachers. Insead,

Nationwide, just

65 percent o

middle-school

math students

report that they

always or almos

always eel like

they are learnin

in math class.




we would argue ha he naion has no done nearly enough o provide each-

ers and schools wih he suppors ha hey need o each all sudens o high

sandards. Tese daa should be cause or change and more imporanly, serve

as a call or more robus research on why exacly his migh be happening. Te

daa should no, however, be reaed as causal research, and he responses rom

sudens could be skewed by oher acors. Sudens, or insance, migh eel socialpressures o indicae ha hey’re no learning in schools. Bu given he ndings o

he Measures o Eecive eaching projec and oher recen research, we believe

hese resuls need o be examined more closely.

Students from disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to have

access to more rigorous learning opportunities

All sudens, regardless o heir amily background, should have access o a

high-qualiy educaion. Bu our analysis ound ha sudens rom disadvanaged backgrounds were less likely o have he same access o he more robus learning

opporuniies as heir more advanaged peers. Consider, or insance, ha 80 per-

cen o higher-income middle-school sudens repor oen or always undersand-

ing wha eachers ask in mah class. In conras, jus 70 percen o low-income

sudens repor oen or always undersanding heir eacher.

Jus 56 percen o low-income ourh-graders repored hey undersand wha heir

science eacher says, compared wih 74 percen o heir higher-income sudens.

And 23 percen o low-income 12h graders said ha heir mah work was oen or

always oo easy, compared wih 19 percen o heir more afuen peers.



ou g | www.mg.

Figure 1

Percentage of fourth-grade science students nationwide who report

understanding what their teacher talks about in science, by poverty

National school

lunch eligbility

Never or

hardly everPercentage/

Standard error

SometimesPercentage/

Standard error

OftenPercentage/

Standard error

Always or

almost alwaysPercentage/

Standard error

Eligible 8% (0.2) 35% (0.3) 24% (0.2) 32% (0.3)

Not eligible 5% (0.1) 22% (0.3) 28% (0.3) 46% (0.3)

Inormation not available 5% (1.2) 30% (2.6) 29% (1.5) 36% (2.9)

Note: Detail may not sum to totals because o rounding. Some apparent dierences between estimates may not be statistically signifcant.

Source: U.S. Department o Education, Institute o Education Sciences, National Center or Education Statistics, National Assessment o EducationalProgress, 2009 Science Assessment This report was generated using the NAEP Data Explorer. http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/naepdata/

Figure 2

Percentage of eighth-grade students nationwide who report clearly

understanding what their math teacher asks, by poverty

National school

lunch eligbility

Never or


Standard error


Standard error

OftenPercentage/

Standard error

Always or


Standard error

Eligible 3% (0.1) 27% (0.3) 32% (0.3) 38% (0.3)

Not eligible 2% (0.1) 18% (0.2) 32% (0.3) 48% (0.3)


Note: Detail may not sum to totals because o rounding. Some apparent dierences between estimates may not be statistically signifcant.Source: U.S. Department o Education, Institute o Education Sciences, National Center or Education Statistics, National Assessment

o Educational Progress, 2011 Mathematics Assessment. This report was generated using the NAEP Data Explorer. http://nces.ed.gov/

nationsreportcard/naepdata/

Figure 3

Percentage of 12th-grade students nationwide who feel

they are learning in math class, by poverty

National school

lunch eligbility

Never or


Standard error


Standard error

OftenPercentage/

Standard error

Always or


Standard error

Eligible 4% (0.3) 17% (0.5) 29% (0.8) 50% (0.9)

Not eligible 4% (0.2) 17% (0.5) 32% (0.5) 47% (0.8)


Note: Detail may not sum to totals because o rounding. Some apparent dierences between estimates may not be statistically signifcant.Source: U.S. Department o Education, Institute o Education Sciences, National Center or Education Statistics, National Assessment

o Educational Progress, 2009 Mathematics Assessment. This report was generated using the NAEP Data Explorer. http://nces.ed.gov/ nationsreportcard/naepdata/




Tere are also racial gaps in some areas. In ourh grade, or insance, 73 percen o

whie sudens and 72 percen o Asian and Pacic Islander sudens said ha hey

undersand wha heir science eacher alks abou. In conras, only 55 percen

o black, 54 percen o Hispanic, and 58 percen o Naive American and Alaska

Naive sudens say hey undersand wha heir eacher alks abou. By middle

school 83 percen o Asian and Pacic Islander sudens and 79 percen o whieeighh graders repor ha hey undersand wha heir eacher is saying. Bu only

67 percen o black sudens, 70 percen o Hispanic sudens, and 69 percen o

Naive American and Alaska Naive sudens in eighh grade undersand wha

heir mah eacher is saying.

We did no, however, nd opporuniy gaps in every area. As par o our analysis,

we looked a disaggregaed daa or all o he relevan background quesions, and

we repored he resuls only or quesions in which here were signican gaps

among suden subgroups.

Figure 4

Percentage of public school fourth graders nationwide who report clearly

understanding what their science teacher asks, by race and ethnicity

Race/ethnicity

Never or


Standard error


Standard error

OftenPercentage/

Standard error

Always or


Standard error

White 5% (0.1) 22% (0.2) 28% (0.2) 45% (0.3)

Black 8% (0.3) 37% (0.4) 24% (0.4) 31% (0.4)

Hispanic 8% (0.4) 38% (0.6) 24% (0.4) 30% (0.5)

Asian/Pacifc Islander 4% (0.3) 24% (0.8) 29% (1.1) 43% (1.2)

American Indian/Alaska Native 11% (1.0) 31% (1.2) 26% (1.3) 32% (1.4)

Two or more races 7% (0.9) 27% (1.4) 28% (1.4) 38% (1.6)

Note: Black includes Arican American, Hispanic includes Latino, and Pacifc Islander includes Native Hawaiian. Race categories exclude

Hispanic origin. Prior to 2011 students in the “two or more races” category were categorized as “unclassifed.” Detail may not sum to totalsbecause o rounding. Some apparent dierences between estimates may not be statistically signifcant.Source: U.S. Department o Education, Institute o Education Sciences, National Center or Education Statistics, National Assessment

o Educational Progress, 2011 Mathematics Assessment. This report was generated using the NAEP Data Explorer. http://nces.ed.gov/ nationsreportcard/naepdata/



ou g | www.mg.

Figure 5

Percentage of public school fourth graders nationwide who report clearly

understanding what their science teacher asks, by race and ethnicity

Race/ethnicity

Never or


Standard error


Standard error

OftenPercentage/

Standard error

Always or


Standard error

White2%

(0.1)19%

(0.2)32%

(0.2)47%

(0.3)

Black 3% (0.2) 30% (0.4) 31% (0.5) 36% (0.4)

Hispanic 3% (0.2) 27% (0.5) 33% (0.4) 37% (0.6)

Asian/Pacifc Islander 1% (0.2) 15% (0.6) 29% (1.1) 54% (1.2)

American Indian/Alaska Native 3% (0.4) 28% (1.3) 35% (1.4) 34% (1.5)

Two or more races 3% (0.5) 24% (1.3) 32% (1.4) 42% (1.6)

Note: Black includes Arican American, Hispanic includes Latino, and Pacifc Islander includes Native Hawaiian. Race categories exclude

Hispanic origin. Prior to 2011 students in the “two or more races” category were categorized as “unclassifed.” Detail may not sum to totalsbecause o rounding. Some apparent dierences between estimates may not be statistically signifcant.Source: U.S. Department o Education, Institute o Education Sciences, National Center or Education Statistics, National Assessment o

Educational Progress, 2011 Mathematics Assessment. This report was generated using the NAEP Data Explorer.http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/naepdata/



rmmt | www.mg.

Recommendations

Our analysis leads us o he ollowing recommendaions.

Policymakers must continue to push for higher, more challenging

standards

Academic sandards provide sudens and eachers wih a clear se o goals ha

hey can srive oward, and many saes have been rying o rache up he rigoro heir educaion sysems by adoping higher academic sandards. Te Common

Core— a collaboraive inersae iniiaive o raise academic sandards led by he

Naional Governors Associaion and he Council o Chie Sae School Ocers—

is an eor o develop and implemen naional college and career-ready sandards

ha increase he rigor o educaion across he counry.23 Te iniiaive has received

near-unanimous suppor across he counry. Fory-eigh saes have joined he

iniiaive, and 47 have ormally adoped he sandards—a rare achievemen or

conemporary reorm eors.24

Our ndings highligh he need or more rigorous sandards like hose pu orh

hrough he Common Core. I also sugges ha saes, disrics, and he ederal

governmen should inves in oher ways o raise he bar so ha all sudens gradu-

ae rom high school ready or college and he workplace. Tis includes expecing

more o eachers, parens, and our schools.

Students need more rigorous learning opportunities, and our

nation needs to figure out ways to provide all students with the

teachers—and the teaching—that they deserve

eaching is no easy work, and mos eachers work very hard every day a heir

pracice. Bu i’s clear ha oo many sudens are no being engaged in class.

Tese sudens don’ undersand heir eachers, and hey don’ eel like hey are




always learning. Our naion can—and should—do more. Tere are many ools

or improving eaching pracice, and hey sar wih a shi in policy. For insance,

we need o do more o promoe nex-generaion eacher-evaluaion sysems ha

give eachers he eedback ha hey need. We also need o improve he culure o

eaching. Tis means creaing an ehos around developing he pracice—one ha’s

ocused on consan improvemen.

Tis nding also highlighs some o he issues around he Common Core and is

implemenaion, and many observers have wondered i saes have commited

enough money and energy o provide eachers and schools wih he raining and

maerials ha hey need o each o hese higher sandards. A recen sudy by he

Cener on Educaion Policy ound ha barely hal o school disrics in saes ha

adoped he Common Core sandards are aking he seps necessary o implemen

hem. eachers also don’ see he new sandards as all ha dieren rom exising

sandards, and 73 percen o eachers believe hey’re ready or he new sandards.25

Ta gure should concern reormers since i suggess ha eachers are overcon-den abou heir knowledge and abiliy o deliver on he new sandards.

Tis issue is paricularly key when i comes o science and echnology. In order o

compee in he global economy, sudens will need a deep knowledge o hese op-

ics. Bu our analysis reveals ha a saggering number o sudens repor ha hey

spend litle o no class ime on science and echnology. Furher, i’s clear ha we

have a long way o go beore science, echnology, engineering, and mah curricu-

lums are aligned wih opporuniies available in he modern workplace.

Researchers and educators should continue to develop

student surveys

We hope his repor launches addiional research ino he use o suden

surveys. While he Naional Assessmen o Educaion Progress surveys clearly

ell us somehing abou sudens’ experiences in heir classroom, more sophis-

icaed survey insrumens mus be developed o capure suden perspecives.

Te ripod Projec is grounded on he assumpion ha much o he knowledge

necessary or improving suden oucomes is already presen in mos schools. Wha’s lacking, however, are rouine mechanisms or documening suden per-

cepions and well-srucured ways o suppor eachers as hey share ideas and

work ogeher o improve learning.26

It’s clear that wehave a long way to

go beore science,

technology,

engineering, and

math curriculums

are aligned with

opportunities

available in the

modern workplace.



rmmt | www.mg.

We also believe ha more can be done o improve he Naional Assessmen

o Educaion Progress background quesionnaire. We agree wih he Naional

Assessmen Governing Board’s recen repor recommending ha duplicaive and

low-prioriy quesions be deleed.

However, we cauion agains making he Naional Assessmen o EducaionProgress background quesionnaire a key research ool or he evaluaion o policy

developmens. Such an eor could make he exam overly burdensome and

could poenially poliicize he assessmen. In paricular, we recommend agains

he Naional Assessmen o Educaional Progress survey being used o evaluae

Common Core implemenaion. Ta sor o work is beter le o he saes or

oher survey insrumens.

In he end, i’s clear ha suden surveys can provide imporan insighs ino a

eacher’s eeciveness, as well as he overall educaional experience o sudens. A

growing number o school sysems such as Washoe Couny, Nevada, are consideringusing sudens o evaluae eachers, and Memphis already couns suden surveys as

5 percen o a eacher’s overall evaluaion.27 Bu ar more needs o be done o beter

undersand he role o surveys and o promoe heir use in schools and disrics.



abut th uth | www.mg.

About the authors

Ulrich Boser is a Senior Fellow a he Cener or American Progress where he

analyzes educaion, criminal jusice, and oher social policy issues. Prior o joining

he Cener, Boser was a conribuing edior or U.S. News & World Repor, he

special projecs direcor or Te Washington Post Express , and he research direcoror Education Week newspaper. His wriings have appeared in Te New York imes ,

Te Washington Post , Slae, and Smithsonian.

Boser has writen a number o inuenial repors. His sudy o school spending

included he rs-ever atemp o evaluae he produciviy o almos every major

school disric in he counry. Hundreds o media oules covered he release o

he repor, including Te New York imes , Te Washington Post , and he Associaed

Press. He has served as a commenaor on social policy issues or many media

oules, including CNN, Naional Public Radio, and Te New York imes.

Boser graduaed wih honors rom Darmouh College and lives in Washingon,

D.C., wih his wie and wo daughers.

Lindsay Rosenthal is he Special Assisan or Domesic Policy a he Cener or

American Progress, working wih he Educaion, Healh, and Women’s Righs depar-

mens. Prior o joining he Cener, Rosenhal worked on research and program devel-

opmen or he Illinois Subsequen Pregnancy Program, a nonpro ha helps a-risk

adolescen mohers o delay a second pregnancy and graduae rom high school. She

also served as a Whie House inern in he Domesic Policy Council.

In 2010 Rosenhal earned her maser’s degree rom he Universiy o Chicago,

where she sudied he relaionship beween adolescen parening among youh

in oser care and muligeneraional involvemen in he child welare sysem. Her

sudies were inormed by her direc-service experience as a home visior and child

advocae wih he Florida Guardian Ad Liem Program.



et | www.mg.

23 “cmm c stt st itt,” lbl twww.t.g (lt Ju 2012).

24 oly alk Tx h l t tt th tt. vg j th tt wthutmlly tg th t.

25 shlt th Bll & Ml Gt Fut,“pmy su 2012: am Th th

Thg p” (2012), lbl t htt://www.hlt.m/myu/wl..

26 “Multl Mu Th eft stut eggmt”, lbl t htt://www.t-jt.g (lt Ju 2012).

27 sh Butymwz, “stut uy hl yug 5 y l my hl t th,”The Washington Post , My 13, 2012, lbl t htt://www.whgtt.m/ll/ut/tut-uy-my-hl-t-th/2012/05/11/giQan78uMU_t-y.html.



The Center or American Progress is a nonpartisan research and educational institute

dedicated to promoting a strong, just, and ree America that ensures opportunity

or all. We believe that Americans are bound together by a common commitment to

these values and we aspire to ensure that our national policies relect these values.

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