ETS on the Issues
ETS regularly publishes research on such topics as education reform, minority access to higher education, and technology in the classroom. Read ETS CEO and President Kurt M. Landgraf's opinion and analysis articles drawing upon this research.
NCLB Renewal an Opportunity for Education Alignment
By Kurt M. Landgraf, President & CEO, ETSMay 2, 2007
Reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind law offers the nation an historic opportunity to forge an integrated, world-class pre-K–to–college education system that aligns its elementary, secondary and postsecondary schools.
We should seize the opportunity.
By creating a true “P–16” system, policymakers would help narrow achievement gaps between white and minority students, better prepare all students for college and work, and bolster American competitiveness — in other words, achieve the basic goals of NCLB.
And they could do so while not only preserving state and local management of public education, but strengthening it.
Lack of alignment, in which elementary, secondary and postsecondary schools function independently of one another, costs us dearly. Surveys show that employers complain about underprepared college graduates; college faculty complain about underprepared high school graduates; and high school teachers complain about underprepared middle school graduates.
The National Governors Association estimates that deficits in basic skills cost high school graduates, colleges and businesses $16 billion a year.
NCLB reauthorization is a chance to reset these patterns. One way is to encourage states to create P–16 Preparedness Councils, through which community, business and school leaders at all levels within a state would collaborate on curricula that prepare students for the next step.
A new NCLB should also encourage states to develop assessment programs that identify secondary students’ academic deficiencies early enough so that they can improve before they enter college or the workplace.
As the debate over NCLB renewal moves forward, let’s not lose sight of the big picture — a better education system that serves all students as well as states, employers and the nation.
At ETS, we’re doing our part. We’re listening to educators, parents and policymakers. We’re learning from sound research. And we’re leading the effort to achieve informed public policy and informed educational practice.
For more information, visit us online at www.ets.org/etsontheissues.
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