Arizona received some encouraging news earlier this month when National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data showed our students are performing on the same level as their peers in the highest performing states.
Former State Superintendent of Education Lisa Graham Keegan, who serves on the Association’s Board of Directors, and Matthew Ladner, senior adviser for policy and research at the Foundation for Excellence in Education, discuss the significance of the NAEP scores and what Arizona needs to do to sustain this momentum.
Op-ed published in the Arizona Republic on Nov. 4, 2015.
Shakespeare once described the uses of adversity as sweet, and Arizona schools have tasted a lot of sugar lately.
Like the state as a whole, our schools have been through the wringer. But while our school leaders tightened their belts financially, they raised the bar academically. Arizona’s leading educators have created a new momentum.
Last week’s National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data on student achievement brought good news for Arizona schools (scroll down for Arizona’s scores). Despite the rancor surrounding K-12 in our state, Arizona schools have been making steady progress through very difficult circumstances. While all of our schools faced funding adversity, many now show achievement scores comparable to the highest performing states.
