Research by Author & Topic

Publications by Jane Hannaway on Education Reform / NCLB

In this Washington Times op-ed, senior education researcher Jane Hannaway explains that few school districts and states link student test performance to individual teachers. Getting good information on teacher quality might be the most important thing for a better school system.

[Riverside Press Enterprise] Jane Hannaway, director of the Education Policy Center, believes the United States can achieve a top-notch public education system. What can we do to catch up and excel? At the top of the list: We have to reach directly into the classroom to improve teacher quality.

[United Press International] A year ago the No Child Left Behind Act was hailed as a story of bipartisan success and a promising way to boost student achievement. But behind the scenes, states are individually trying to strike deals with federal authorities to sidestep provisions. The federal legislation's goal—to make all schools accountable for achieving high standards for all students—is both laudable and hard to oppose. But achieving this federally set goal when states retain constitutional authority over public education is another, far more contentious matter.

This study represents the first systematic national feedback from states and school districts on the state of education reform since the passage of the Goals 2000: Educate America Act and the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) in 1994. It presents findings from a national mail survey of school districts and a telephone or in-person survey of state officials in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The surveys were undertaken to collect information from district- and state-level administrators about their views of standards-based reform and the new statutory provisions in the ESEA, the progress they are making in reform, the areas where they need more information and assistance, and the sources of assistance they find most helpful. The study responds to Congressional mandates in Sec.1501 and Sec.14701 of the ESEA for the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to report on progress in implementing federal programs and their impact on reform.