Articles

Nation's Report Card Shows Progress in Math But Reading Scores Flat

Public Agenda
Oct. 20, 2005

The latest edition of the National Assessment of Educational Progress found that math scores for fourth and eighth graders rose slightly since 2003 and have increased significantly since 1990. Reading scores are more troubling, with tests showing little change since 1992. Overall, NAEP officials said they saw progress for elementary students but cause for concern in middle school
reading skills.

This is the first release of the "nation's report card" since the No Child Left Behind law was passed and many were hoping NAEP would give some clear indication of how well the law was working. President Bush hailed progress on
the "achievement gap" between white and minority students, but some education groups were more disappointed. The Education Trust said there is "not enough good news" in the results, while others caution that it may still
be too early to judge the law's impact.

Public Agenda opinion research has found that support for higher standards and accountability remains solid among teachers, parents and students. More than a decade ago, we found Americans bemoaned the lack of basic skills among students and even now the vast majority are convinced most youngsters don't achieve their full academic potential.

Backing for higher standards extends across different groups and remains strong even when researchers ask about tradeoffs, such as holding students back.

Beneath the surface, however, we find teachers are discouraged, administrators are besieged by politics and many teachers and students worry about an unruly, disrespectful and sometimes violent atmosphere in American high schools.

On No Child Left Behind, surveys find that while most Americans have heard of the law, nearly seven in 10 say they don’t know enough to form an opinion. Since very few members of the general public have firsthand experience with how measures would actually work, poll results on this topic should be reported with caution. When Public Agenda surveyed principals and superintendents on this topic, however, we found majorities who said say the law needs some fine-tuning before it will work.

The best summary of Public Agenda's research on education is our report "Where We Are Now: 12 Things You Need to Know About Public Opinion and Public Schools":
http://www.publicagenda.org/research/
research_reports_details.cfm?list=11

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