These findings were among the data reported in "Lost Opportunity: A 50-State Report on the Opportunity to Learn in America," a study released on May 19 by the Schott Foundation for Public Education (MA). Student performance data reported by the state departments of education was analyzed to determine both the quality of and access to instruction provided in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
"This serves as a wake-up call to every governor, legislator, state education commissioner, and superintendents of schools who falsely believes we are getting the job done in our classrooms," said Dr. John Jackson, President and CEO of the Schott Foundation. "According to their own data, only eight states are providing a moderately proficient, high-access public education to all. After a decade of leaving no child behind, we are finding an entire generation of students is again all but forgotten."
The eight states are Idaho, Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Oregon, Washington, Vermont, and Virginia. The Schott Foundation looked at both academic proficiency (the percentage of students scoring at or above proficient on eighth-grade NAEP reading measures) and access (measured by the foundation's Opportunity to Learn Index [OTLI]).
"In far too many states, students are being denied access to the resources that provide a meaningful opportunity to learn," Jackson said. "There is no substitute for opportunity, not in our schools, not in our workplaces, and not in our society. That is our American dream. No one should be satisfied with the level of educational quality and access we are providing to our children. This data defines a community in crisis, not one of achievement for all.
"The state data is clear. If you are a Black, Latino, Native American, or low-income student in this country, odds are you are not receiving high-quality learning opportunities. After more than a half-century, we are still not providing truly equal educational opportunities to all students. After more than a quarter century, our nation is still very much at risk. Quality for a few and access for some is hardly the standard to which we should hold our states and school districts." Go to www.otlstatereport.org for the full report, including a national summary and state-by-state data and analysis.
