How Well Are American Students Learning?

Education ranks as one of the public’s top concerns in the 2000 election. Are the nation’s children getting better at reading and math? What kinds of math did they learn in the 1990s? Do federal and state tests provide a clear picture of academic progress? Or are they sending mixed signals?

A new report by the Brookings Institution’s Brown Center on Education Policy examines the direction of achievement in U.S. schools, evaluates whether any gains that have occurred are large or small, and takes a hard look at policies and practices influencing student learning. Brown Center Director Tom Loveless will release the report in Washington, D.C., before embarking on a five-city national tour where he will present the findings in New York, Chicago, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Houston.

This forum is the sixth of eight election-year conferences—called the P2K, Priorities 2000, series—at which Brookings is encouraging a serious and informed discussion of the most pressing issues facing the nation.