YEAR IN REWIND: High School Reform Garners National Headlines, but Most Work Done at State and Local Levels

The prospects for high school reform at the federal level kicked off the year 2005 on a high note when President Bush outlined a broad range of high school reforms designed to help every high school student graduate with the skills necessary to succeed in college and be competitive in the workforce. However, by the end of the year, there were few changes at the federal level. In fact, most of the efforts to improve the nation's high schools were made at the state and local levels.

NAEP SCORES FOR LARGE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICTS REVEAL LARGER ACHIEVEMENT GAPS: Percentage of Students Reading "Below Basic" Over 50 Percent in Some Cities

Eighth-grade students in the nation's urban areas are more likely to read at the "below basic" level than their peers in other parts of the country, according to the latest results on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 2005 Mathematics and Reading Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA). The report, called the "Nation's Report Card," said that average scores went up over the last 2 years in Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and San Diego, but went down in Charlotte, Washington, D.C., and New York City. Average scores were unchanged in Atlanta and Cleveland. The report also found larger achievement gaps in these cities between white students and their black and Hispanic classmates than those that exist nationally.

JINGLE ELLS: Alliance for Excellent Education Hosts Final Adolescent Literacy Breakfast for 2005

On December 6, the Alliance for Excellent Education held its fourth and final 2005 breakfast forum on the "Six Key Strategies for Teachers of English Language Learners," a document created by the New Teacher Center (NTC) at the University of California at Santa Cruz.

HOUSE REJECTS INSUFFICIENT EDUCATION SPENDING BILL: Twenty-Two Republicans Join Democrats in Defeating Bill That Would Have Cut Education Spending by $59.1 Million

On November 17, after intense pressure from education, health care, and other advocates, the House of Representatives defeated, by a vote of 224 to 209, the fiscal year 2006 Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and Education spending bill that had emerged from the Senate-House conference process, with 22 Republicans joining all House Democrats in opposition. The bill would have provided $56.5 billion for the Department of Education-$169 million below the House-passed bill, $212 million below the Senate-passed bill, and $59.1 million below FY 2005 appropriations. The defeat marks the first time since 1995 that a conference report, a compromise version of the bills passed by the House and the Senate, was defeated in the House.

HISPANIC STUDENTS LEFT BEHIND: Hispanic Students Most Likely to Attend High-Poverty, High-Enrollment High Schools

Hispanic high school students are more likely than their white or African-American peers to attend high schools with the highest enrollments, the highest concentrations of poor students, and the highest student-teacher ratios, according to The High Schools Hispanics Attend: Size and Other Key Characteristics, a new report from the Pew Hispanic Center.

U.S. EDUCATION LEVELS EXPECTED TO DECLINE SHARPLY WHEN BABY BOOMERS RETIRE: Decrease in Education Attainment Would Have Profound Effects on U.S. and State Economies

Americans are generally aware that educational disparities exist between whites and other racial and ethnic populations, but they are largely unaware of the social and economic consequences that could result if current educational gaps are not addressed soon, according to a new policy alert from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. The report argues that the United States could lose billions of dollars in personal income as more well-educated Baby Boomers retire and are replaced by workers with less education.

STANDARDS FOR MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL LITERACY COACHES: New Report Details "Must Have" Competencies

The literacy crisis among students in America's middle and high schools is well documented. Based on the most recent reading scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), more than one in four (29 percent) American eighth graders in public schools read "below basic," indicating that they have no literal understanding of what they read, and putting them at great risk of dropping out of high school. To combat the reading difficulties their students often face, many middle and high schools around the country have turned to literacy coaches for help. These coaches work with content area teachers to help them infuse literacy instruction into their teaching and help them recognize students with reading difficulties.