2021

Impact Report & 2020 Annual Report

A Test for America’s Schools

A Test for America’s Schools

The Education & Society Program is creating new ways to understand student performance and eliminate obstacles to equity and learning.

Give NowWhat is the true extent of the educational crisis in the United States? How deeply is it affecting children’s lives? These are just two of the many challenges that states and school districts face. In normal years, state assessments in core subjects like math and reading shine a light on whether students are learning as expected. But the last year was not normal. Far too many American students experience extreme hunger, lack the technology and internet access they need, and during the pandemic had fewer beneficial interactions with teachers and peers.

But researchers don’t have this information, sometimes referred to as Opportunity to Learn data, in enough detail or on an individual student level. So the Education & Society Program partnered with the National Center for Improvement in Assessment to write recommendations, published in October 2020, that call for more OTL data and guidance on measurement and academic assessment.

In response, several states added OTL to statewide data-collection efforts and cited the Education & Society Program’s recommendations as the key driver in supporting state action. As one example, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania used the guidance to collect additional student-level data on whether education was delivered remotely, in person, or in a hybrid model; if families had access to technology, hardware, and reliable internet service; what educator experiences and observations were like; and what challenges students and families encountered from food insecurity and housing.

By collecting this information, states like Pennsylvania will be better equipped to understand student experience; interpret standardized assessment data; serve students, families, and staff—and ultimately make students’ lives better.