We studied and evaluated formative research in the field, as well as our own work since 2000, and used this data to help us shape our college-ready education plan. As we move forward, we are committed to using evidence to guide our education investments. Key findings from the plan are summarized below, with links to relevant research reports.
A High School Diploma Is No Longer Enough
A high school diploma was once a ticket to the American Dream: a steady job that could launch a career that would support a family and raise a family’s living standard. But times have changed. In today’s world, a college diploma has become as important as a high school diploma used to be for securing a decent job.
Relevant Research:
Students Are Not Properly Prepared for College
Today only 71 percent of American students graduate high school on time, a figure that drops to 55 percent for African-American students and 58 percent for Hispanic students. College-readiness rates are even lower. Researchers estimate that less than 25 percent of minority young people are prepared for college, at tremendous cost to themselves and to society.
Relevant Research:
Better Standards for Better Results
Standards for courses, high school graduation requirements, and state exit/course exams rarely translate into readiness to succeed beyond high school. And while every state has adopted standards for what students should know and be able to do, the process by which standards are developed frequently encourages breadth over depth and rigor. As a result, American education is a mile wide and an inch deep, covering far more material than teachers can ever hope to deliver, while giving students only a shallow understanding of complex topics. Teachers and students alike are overwhelmed by standards that are sometimes reasonable but oftentimes excessive.
Relevant Research:
Teachers Matter Most
Research shows that teachers matter most to student learning. Of all the educational interventions to serve poor and minority children, the one with the strongest evidence behind it is effective teaching. According to one study, the average student in an effective teacher’s class moved up 10 percentage points relative to the average student in an ineffective teacher’s class—an amount equal to 25 percent of the achievement gap between African-American and white students.
Research also shows that the U.S. makes no special efforts to reward or retain teachers who have proven themselves particularly effective in the classroom or to put them on a positive career path. We spend billions of dollars paying teachers for earning masters degrees that, except in the case of math and science, have shown no positive relationship with student-learning gains.
Relevant Research:
Students Who Fall Behind Need the Most Support
Studies show that students who begin high school behind academically are much more likely than their peers to fall off track. Students who do not attend school regularly and who fail too many courses during their freshman year are unlikely to catch up—and often drop out. These students need focused academic support early on to make sure they get back on course and complete high school on time.
Relevant Research: