For much of the last two decades, beginning with the passage of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) in 2002, the top political leaders have shown concern about children stuck in failing public schools. NCLB required districts to do something -- not enough, but something -- about those schools. Millions of children still languish in low-performing schools,…

The 2016 Education Choice and Competition Index (ECCI) is the fifth release of an annual compilation of data on the condition of K-12 school choice in the geographical areas served by the nation's 100 largest school districts. The ECCI captures information on: (1) the extent of choice; (2) the characteristics of the process by which parents and…

The purpose of this inquiry is to consider how the U.S. Department of Education's Promise Neighborhoods (PNs) program can improve persistently low-achieving urban schools by making their "neighborhoods whole again" through community capacity building for education reform. As the "first federal initiative to put education at the…

The single most significant factor in increasing student achievement is having highly effective teachers in the classroom. In Nevada's Washoe County School District, the 58th-largest in the country, a new strategic plan--Envision WCSD 2015 Investing in Our Future--is pushing aggressive reforms in employee hiring. With 94 schools to serve, the plan…

A full year of progress in advancing education reform across America is documented in each of the Foundation for Excellence in Education's Annual Reports. The illustrated pages of the 2014 report, provide data-rich updates on Excellence in Education's work to advance student-centered policies in more than 40 states, all aimed at improving learning…

National statistics reported in recent studies of educational quality and information gathered by the Nevada Governor's Commission on Educational Excellence both show disturbing trends in educational performance, despite some positive indications. Among recent signs of improvement in Nevada are the recognition of some Nevada schools as outstanding…