The 'Nation's Report Card' Is Out: Here's What the Results Tell Us about America's Schools. Issue Brief
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| Title: | The 'Nation's Report Card' Is Out: Here's What the Results Tell Us about America's Schools. Issue Brief |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Jennifer Weber, Manhattan Institute (MI) |
| Source: | Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. 2025. |
| Availability: | Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. 52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017. Tel: 212-599-7000; Fax: 212-599-3494; Web site: http://www.manhattan-institute.org |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Page Count: | 18 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Reports - Evaluative |
| Education Level: | Elementary Secondary Education Elementary Education Grade 4 Intermediate Grades Grade 8 Junior High Schools Middle Schools Secondary Education |
| Descriptors: | National Competency Tests, Educational Legislation, Federal Legislation, Elementary Secondary Education, Reading Achievement, Reading Tests, Mathematics Achievement, Mathematics Tests, Common Core State Standards, Expenditure per Student, Reading Skills, Educational Trends, Grade 4, Grade 8, Urban Schools, Racial Factors, Public Schools, Charter Schools, Collective Bargaining, Economic Factors |
| Laws, Policies and Program Identifiers: | No Child Left Behind Act 2001, Every Student Succeeds Act 2015 |
| Assessment and Survey Identifiers: | National Assessment of Educational Progress |
| Abstract: | For over 50 years, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the Nation's Report Card, has measured student achievement in reading and math across the United States. The recently released 2024 results confirm a long-term crisis in education, with student performance stagnating or declining despite decades of federal spending and education reform initiatives. Federal interventions such as No Child Left Behind (2002), Common Core (2010), and Every Student Succeeds Act (2015) were designed to improve student academic outcomes. While No Child Left Behind (NCLB) drove improvements in student achievement initially, NAEP scores indicate that progress stalled under Common Core and declined further after Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) weakened accountability measures. More funding has not made a difference. Even as national per-pupil spending has exceeded $17,000 on average per student, reading proficiency has remained unchanged, and math scores are at their lowest in two decades. This paper examines the factors contributing to these declines and proposes evidence-based solutions to improve student achievement. |
| Abstractor: | ERIC |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | ED676178 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | For over 50 years, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the Nation's Report Card, has measured student achievement in reading and math across the United States. The recently released 2024 results confirm a long-term crisis in education, with student performance stagnating or declining despite decades of federal spending and education reform initiatives. Federal interventions such as No Child Left Behind (2002), Common Core (2010), and Every Student Succeeds Act (2015) were designed to improve student academic outcomes. While No Child Left Behind (NCLB) drove improvements in student achievement initially, NAEP scores indicate that progress stalled under Common Core and declined further after Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) weakened accountability measures. More funding has not made a difference. Even as national per-pupil spending has exceeded $17,000 on average per student, reading proficiency has remained unchanged, and math scores are at their lowest in two decades. This paper examines the factors contributing to these declines and proposes evidence-based solutions to improve student achievement. |
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