The 2006 Brown Center Report on American Education uses the latest and best evidence available to evaluate student achievement in America's schools. This year's report analyzes test scores from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), assesses the validity of popular press accounts linking self-esteem and real world-relevance with student learning, and evaluates how providing special education affects the budgets of local school districts. This book consists of three parts: (1) The Nation's Achievement; (2) The Happiness Factor in Student Learning; and (3) Are States Honestly Reporting Test Scores?