CRT: An Excuse for Educational Failure

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Critical Race Theory is an Excuse for Educational Failure The socioeconomic disparities Critical Race Theory cites as evidence of racism are primarily the result of public education’s failings. Insensitivity to the unique educational needs of disadvantaged children-­both white and minority–has resulted in substandard learning outcomes for both. Minority children, however, have suffered greater harm because more of them are economically disadvantaged and educationally delayed at school entry. Some school districts are confronting the problem but many deflect responsibility … Read More

Poverty vs Student Achievement and Ethnic Composition

With few exceptions, low-poverty schools have high percentages of proficient readers and high-poverty schools have lower percentages–regardless of the school’s ethnic makeup (see selected states below).  This evidence argues against the view that the generally low percentages of proficient readers in high minority schools are the result of racial discrimination.  Rather, it is consistent with the view that the low reading proficiencies of high-minority schools are principally a function of their high percentages of economically disadvantaged students.  Most economically disadvantaged … Read More

Foreword to Clear Teaching

I will try to be brief. I read your letter to Brearley parents and your recent newsletter.  Bravo!! I am a retired professor who trained teachers and who has, since 2005, headed an organization that helps parents, policymakers, and taxpayers deal with education quality issues in their schools.  Called the Education Consumers Foundation, we are like Consumer Reports, only focused exclusively on education. Much of what we recommend with regard to both Critical Race Theory (CRT) and school … Read More

ECF Cost Calculator

Reading Failure Is Costing Us Our Future: Here Are the Numbers for Your School or District

Cost of Reading Failure: Any US School

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According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, only a third of 4th-grade students in the U.S. read at a proficient level.  Approximately 70% of the two-thirds who are not up-to-speed in reading will either drop out or graduate unprepared for college or the workplace (i.e., they will require remedial studies or struggle with on-the-job training). Dropouts and unprepared graduates are an economic burden to themselves and taxpayers.  Their educational attainment is a barrier to self-sustaining wages.  Over a working lifetime, they … Read More

Consumer Empowerment

American Decline can be Reversed through Grassroots Action Public education has been decaying on the inside for decades. Educators blame poverty, poor parenting, changing demographics, the growth of hedonistic popular culture, insufficient funding, and myriad other factors. Seldom mentioned, however, is education’s failure to adapt and overcome these conditions. In the view of most educators, schools are doing all they can–an explanation that is contradicted by the measurable differences in effectiveness among teachers within the same school and … Read More

Education Consumers Foundation

Who We Are We are trained, experienced, and independent educators. We use data and analysis to help parents and taxpayers identify good schools and navigate the others. What We Do We turn school performance data into graphics and explain what they mean about school quality. Why We Do It? Our mission is to improve education by showing those who use and pay for schools how to recognize good ones, find better ones, and get the most from the … Read More

Early Reading Success & College

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In most states, a school district’s number of proficient third-grade readers is highly predictive of the number of 8th graders who will be proficient five years later.  The significance of this fact is that 8th-grade reading skill is highly predictive of high school outcomes and preparedness for work and college.   In other words, third grade reading success is vitally important because it predicts the trajectory of a child’s educational career.  The above chart school district reading scores illustrates … Read More

TN: Are Your District High School Graduates Ready for College?

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The ACT is a college readiness exam that measures the likelihood of a high school graduate’s success in college. The test covers reading, math, science and English and uses multiple choice questions to predict a graduate’s chance of earning a B or C grade in four critical college courses. An individual’s score in each of the four subject matter areas are compared to College Readiness Benchmarks that ACT established from its studies of successful and unsuccessful students. The … Read More

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