Rising to GreatnessAn Imperative for

Improving Iowa’s Schools

Table of ContentsForeword 3

Introduction 4

A proud past 5

That was then. This is now. 6

Academic achievement must improve 8if Iowa students are to compete

The majority of Iowa students are underperforming 15

High school ACT performance shows promise 16

Race, poverty, and disability gaps: 18Large, persistent, and unacceptable

Iowa vs. the world: Is Iowa good enough? Not yet. 22

Collegedegreeattainmentbelowaverage 24

Conclusion 26

References/Citations 27

Acknowledgements 28

2011 | RIsINg To gReATNess2

ForewordInadvanceoftheGovernor’s2011SummitonEducation,Iampleasedtopresentthisreport,Rising to Greatness: An Imperative for Improving Iowa’s Schools, to the people of Iowa. When IfirstcametoIowainJanuary2011,GovernorBranstadgavemeabold,perhapsevenaudacious,goalashisStateDirectorofEducation:Do what it takes to return Iowa to first in the nation, if not first in the world, in educational quality. This goal will not be accomplished through small and incremental tinkeringwiththestatusquo.Agoallikethisrequiresmeaningfulchangeandthecouragetodothingsdifferentlythanwehaveinthepast.

Iowa’seducationsystemoncestoodastheenvyofeverystateinthenationandofmanycountriesaroundtheworld.Usingpracticallyanyquantifiablemeasureofexcellence,Iowawasattheapexofeducationalachievementfordecades.TheschoolsysteminIowamagnificentlyfueledthestate’seconomywithskilledfarmers,factoryworkers,scientists,knowledgeworkers,andentrepreneurs.We must honor the tremendous work of those who came before us, who put in place the strong foundationsonwhichwenowbuild.Whileitisimportantnottooverlyromanticizethepast,itisimportanttonotethatIowahasatraditionofexcellenceineducationarguablyunmatchedbyanyother state in the union.

Byandlarge,thepresentsystemofeducationinIowaremainsgood.Highschoolgraduationratesarenear90percent,IowafrequentlyperformsnearthetopofsomenationalmeasuressuchasACTresults,andIowa’sschoolsserveasthefoundationalbedrockofsomanycommunitiesacrossthestate.Acorestatevalueof“equity”isapparentinthestate’sfundingmodel,thequalityofschoolfacilities,generallybroadaccesstotechnology,andthestatewidecommitmenttoprovidingahigh-qualityeducationalsystemregardlessofifastudentlivesinacity,suburbanarea,orsmalltown.Iowaalsohasanothersignificantstrengthtobuildon—itspeople.Iowanscontinuallydemonstrateacommitmenttosupportingtheirschools,andeducationprofessionalsthroughoutthestatearededicatedandincrediblycaring, talented people. There is tremendous capacity in this state from which to build.

So,Iowa’sschoolsaregood,butaretheygreat?Thefutureofourschools,ifnotourstateandevenournation,willdependonourcollectivewillingnesstoengageinthehardworknecessarytomakedramaticimprovementstoeducation—to have our schools rise from good to great.

TodaywestandatanimportantdecisionpointforIowa.Thekeyquestionwefaceis:“ArewewillingtodowhatwillbenecessarytomakeIowa’sschoolsgreat?”ArewewillingtoconfrontthefactthatIowa’sstandingasaneducationleaderisnowquestionedasourresultshavestagnated,whileotherstateshaveaccelerated?Arewewillingtotackletheevenmorevexingandtroublingissuethatothernationshaveacceleratedpastus?Oursuccessinimprovingourschoolsbeginsbyconfrontingtherealitythatsomethingmustbedone.

Thisreportdoesnotintendtopointtheblameatanyperson,group,organization,orinstitution.Weshouldallequallyshareinthehistoricalsuccessesourschoolsenjoy―butwearealsoallculpablefortheircurrentshortcomings.MakingrealimprovementstoIowa’sschoolswilltake everyone.

Theintentofthisreportistospurconstructiveandhonestdebateintheserviceofimprovement.Ifullyexpectthosewhoadvocateprotectingthestatusquoto,almostreflexively,riseupinitsdefenseandattempttodismissorunderminethefactspresentedhere.Ialsofullyexpectthosewhoseektopressthepoliticsof“blameandshame”totryandusethisreportasaweaponagainstperceivedenemies.

Wemustsummonandlistentothe“betterangelsofournature”andresistbothoftheseapproaches.Tolerance,pragmatism,reason,honesty, humility, and love must be the values on which we come together to build this movement to improve our schools.

EveryonewantsabetterfutureforIowa’skids.Inthedaysahead,wewillworktogetheronconstructingthebestpathforwardtoimproveIowa’sschools.Theworkwillbehard,andattimesitmayfeelasifwehavelostourway.ButbyrelyingonIowa’sproudtraditionofexcellenceineducation,drawingonthetremendousexistingcapacityinourstate,anddreamingtogetheraboutwhataworldclassandtrulygreatschoolsystemmightbe,wewillemergewithourplantomeetthataudaciousgoalofbeingthebesteducationsysteminthenationandtheworld.

Withrespectandadmiration,

JasonE.Glass,Ed.D.StateDirector,IowaDepartmentofEducation

Jason E. Glass, Ed.D.

2011 | RIsINg To gReATNess 3

IntroductionOther states and countries are surpassing Iowa.Intheearly1990s,theColdWarended,BacktotheFutureIIIwasintheaters,andIowaledthenationinreadingandmathematics.Timeshavechanged.Adecadeintothe21stcentury,Iowahasconceded its place at the top. During the past 20 years, achievement trends illustrate Iowa’s slide fromanationalleaderinPK-12educationtoanationalaverage―sometimesbelowaverage―performerasotherstates(andnations)haveacceleratedpastthestate.

Is Iowa up to the challenge?Iowastudents’futuresareatrisk.Collectively,Iowastudentsarenothittingthemarkinmathematicsandreadingcompetency.Sure,Iowahasitsshareofsuper-achievers.Butthemassof Iowa students—not just underprivileged or minority students, but many of the majority white, relativelyaffluentstudentsaswell—arefallingshortofwhatisneededtoattainqualityjobs,growingincomes,andsecurelivelihoodsintoday’sgloballycompetitiveworld.

Theworldhasmovedbeyondtheindustrialageandinformationageand is now in the innovation age. students must be armed not only with knowledge, but also with skills and insights needed tocriticallyanalyzeandinnovate.Thepressingproblemsandgrandopportunitiestheworldfacesrequirethatmanymorepeoplecontributeasinnovatorsandproblemsolvers,notordertakersand implementers. Innovators will prosper. order takers will stagnate. The days of an abundance of low-skill jobs have come to an end.

Even if Iowa reclaims its place as a national leader in education, is that good enough? Iowa’sstudentsarenotjustcompetingwiththerestofthenation’s50millionstudentsforcareersandleadershippositionsinbusinessandresearch.Thatwasyesterday.Today,IowansarecompetingwithChinaandIndia’sapproximately400millionstudents―twocountriesthatarerapidlyimprovingtheireducationsystems.Manyoftheseforeignstudentsareproductsof advanced, accelerated curricula. And they’re gunning for premium jobs anywhere on the planet―jobsthatmanyAmericansmayhavecometotakeforgranted.

Toregainitspositionasatopeducationsysteminthenation,Iowamustsupportthechallengesofthe future. The path forward must include:

1.Clearstandardswithhighexpectationsandaccountabilityforresults;2.Afairandalignedassessmentsystemwhichsupportsfeedbackatalllevels;3.Highlyeffectiveeducators;and4. Innovativelearningenvironmentsenrichedbytechnology.

Iowa’s schools have achieved great things throughout past decades and have a proud and strong foundation.Certainly,tearingthesystemapartandstartinganewisnottheanswer.Rather,thestateneedstobuildfromitspositionofstrengthandmovedecisivelytowardnewgoalswithnewmethods, resources, and standards. This report highlights Iowa’s past accomplishments, reviews longitudinal trend data, pinpoints the impact of past and current performance, and outlines opportunitiesforimprovementinthefuture.

The message is clear:

EducationinIowa must

makedramaticimprovement.

2011 | RIsINg To gReATNess4

A proud past Throughoutthe20thcentury,Iowabuiltanationallyrecognizedschoolsystemthatconsistentlydeveloped skilled learners in every part of the state. This system propelled Iowa to the forefront asaleaderineducation.AsIowaprogressedtowardgreaterdiversityinbusiness,industry,andpopulation,thepubliceducationsystemevolvedtoreflectandencompassthosechanges.Highlightsofthisevolutioninclude:

n A nationally recognized system of Regent Universities and private collegesoriginatinginthe mid 1800s. Today, students come from around the world aspiring for a diploma from an Iowapost-secondaryinstitution.

n A system of community collegesestablishedinthe1960stoprovidemorestudentseducationandtrainingbeyondhighschool.Iowa’scommunitycollegesystemprovidesanimportantgatewayintohighereducationforsomestudentsandalsoservesasakeyworkforce development system.

n Area Education Agencies(AEAs)launchedinthemid1970stoprovideregionalsupportfor local schools and their teachers. Today, AeAs provide an incredible number of special educationandinstructionalservicestodistrictsacrossthestate.

n Computers arrivinginIowaclassrooms,startingattheteacher’sdesk,andlaterprovidinganewavenueforrichcontentdeliverytostudents.ManyIowadistrictsrecentlyhaveadopteda policy to provide one laptop to every student.

n The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)approvedbyCongressin2001.NCLBwassignedintolaw in 2002, holds schools accountable for student achievement levels and imposes penaltiesforschoolsthatdonotmakeadequateyearlyprogress(AYP)towardmeetingthegoalsofNCLB.IowaadoptedaccountabilitymeasuresalignedwiththegoalsofNCLB.

n The Iowa Teaching StandardsdevelopedandadoptedbytheStateBoardofEducationin2002.TheIowaStandardsforSchoolLeadersfollowedin2008.Theseinitiativesgavedistrictsnew,evidence-basedmodelsforqualityteachingmethods.

n The Iowa CorecontainsessentialconceptsandskillsinEnglish/languagearts,socialstudies,science,andmathematics,aswellas21stcenturyskillsinfinancialliteracy,healthliteracy,andotherkeyareas.TheIowaCorerepresentsthestate’sworktosethighexpectationsforallstudents.SettingthesestatewideexpectationswasanimportantstepforIowatowardbecominganeducation“system”asopposedtoalooseconfederationofschooldistricts.

2011 | RIsINg To gReATNess 5

That was then. This is now.Thebigaregettingbigger.Thesmallaregettingsmaller.Iowa’spopulationisgrowing,butnotdramaticallyso,andcertainlynotcomparedtomanyotherstates.Whiletheoverallpopulationhasgrownabout10percentinthepast20years,66ofIowa’s99countiessawdecreasesinpopulationinthepast10years.Inshort,Iowa’smetropolitanareaswiththeirsuburbsandbedroomcommunitiesaregrowing.Iowa’sruralareasareshrinkinginpopulation,asisruralstudentenrollment.

500,000490,000480,000470,000460,000450,000440,000430,000420,000410,000400,000

2000–2001

2001–2002

2002–2003

2003–2004

2004–2005

2005–2006

2006–2007

2007–2008

2008–2009

2009–2010

2010–2011

2011–2012

2012–2013

2013–2014

2014–2015

2015–2016

Num

ber o

f Stu

dent

s

School Year

n enrollment n ProjectedEnrollment

Iowa Public Enrollment

LOSS 0-5% 5-15% 15-25% 25% +

IowaDepartmentofEducationstatisticsshowaconsecutive14-yeardeclineinpublicschoolenrollment.ThelasttimeIowa had an enrollment upswing was inthe1996-97schoolyear.Inthefallof2010, enrollment shrank in 63 percent of Iowa’s359schooldistricts.Meanwhile,severaldistrictsinthegreaterDesMoinesarea and the Cedar Rapids-Iowa City corridorexperiencedgrowthinenrollment,highlightingthepopulationshiftfromruralto urban-suburban areas. All signs point tothepersistence,ifnotacceleration,ofthis trend.

Somegoodnewsmaybeonthehorizoninterms of overall student enrollment growth inIowa.Consistentwithpopulationgrowthindicated by the 2010 Census, the number ofstudentsattendingpublicschoolsinIowais projected to increase slightly over the nextfiveyears,growingby11,400students,or2.4percent.Thelion’sshareofthatgrowth will be in metropolitan districts.

IowA STATE PoPULATIoN: 3,046,355PoPULATIoN ChANgE By CoUNTy: 2000-2010

SOURCE:U.S.CensusBureau,2010

2011 | RIsINg To gReATNess6

“Wefaceanimportantdual challenge:

Providingaconsistent,high-qualitylearningexperienceforever-growing urban and

suburban districts, as well as for shrinking

rural districts. To do that, we must

be smarter in how we manage limited

resources.”

Jason E. Glass, Ed.D.state Director,

IowaDepartmentofEducation

Iowa’s communities are changing. ThepastdecadehasseenanincreaseintheminoritystudentpopulationinIowa,fromapproximately10percentofstudentstonow18percent.Whilemostofthestateisstillfairlyhomogenous(82percentwhite),thereisagrowingtrendofmoreHispanic(8percent)andAfricanAmerican(5percent)studentsinIowaschooldistricts. Thenumberofstudentswhodon’tspeakEnglishasafirstlanguagealsocontinuestogrow.In2000-01,EnglishLanguageLearners(ELLs)madeup2.3percentofthepublicstudentpopulation.By2009-10,thispopulationnearlydoubledto21,000,or4.4percentofthestudentbodypopulation.

Change in Enrollment

More kids are struggling through economic hardship. ThepercentageofIowastudentseligibletoreceivefreeorreduced-pricelunch(FRL)hasincreasedfrom27percentin2000-01to37percentin2009-10.Theimpactofthisincreaseisextremelyimportantbecausemultiplestudiesshowthatpovertyplaysabigroleinloweracademicachievement(Hernandez,2011;Walker,etal.,1994).ResearchbyHartandRisley(1995)foundasignificantdifferenceinthelanguageinteractionsbetweenparentsandchildren in low-income families compared to middle- or higher-income families. By age 3, children from middle-income or higher-income families typically have heard 30 million more words than children from low-income families. This discrepancy has been shown to be a predictor of future reading ability.

40,00035,00030,00025,00020,00015,00010,000

5,000

Hispanic African American Asian English LanguageLearner

2000–01 2009–10

17,019

37,340

18,510

23,882

8,274 9,169 11,079

20,781

Num

ber o

f Stu

dent

s

Impact: ShiftsinIowacommunities―fromdecreasingcommunitypopulationstocommunitieswithincreaseddiversityandeconomichardships―posechallengestoIowa’seducationsystem.MeetingtheneedsofthesestudentpopulationswillrequirethatIowaeducatorsareequippedwiththeknowledge, skills, and resources to meet students’ varying needs.

opportunity: embracing the important role diversity andcultureplayinschoolsandcreatinglearningopportunitiesthatappealtoexistingandnewstudentpopulationswill become increasingly important. Iowa’s educators must sustain high expectationsforallstudents,regardlessof each student’s background.

2011 | RIsINg To gReATNess 7

What is NAEP?TheNationalAssessmentofEducationalProgress(NAEP)istheonlycontinuingandnationallyrepresentativeassessmentofwhatournation’sstudentsknowandcando.NAEPoftenhasbeencalledthe“goldstandard”ofassessmentsbecauseitisdevelopedusing the best thinking of assessment and content specialists, educationexperts,andteachersfromaroundthenation.

Academic achievement must improve if Iowa students are to competeIowa’sachievementresults,acrossmultiplemeasures,showanalarmingslidetowardmediocrity.ScoresontheNationalAssessmentofEducationalProgress(NAEP)havenotkeptpacewiththenation.Studentsinmanydemographicgroupshaveresultssimilartoor,insomecases,lowerthan their peers across the United states. Further, Iowa’s white students, whether poor or affluent,nowoftenscorebelowthenationalaverageonNAEP,whereasthesegroupshistoricallyhadstrong,positivetestresults.ScoresontheIowaTestsofBasicSkills(ITBS)andIowaTestsofEducationalDevelopment(ITED)havealsoflat-lined.ResultsontheACTcollege-entranceassessment remain stagnant as well, and many students who take the test are not ready for collegeinallsubjectareas.RaisingstudentachievementiscrucialforIowatoresurrectitsprofileasatopeducationstate.

2011 | RIsINg To gReATNess8

Iowa’s reading progress is stuck in neutral and slowly slipping backward.In1992,nostatescoredhigherthanIowaontheNAEPinfourth-gradereading.Howeverby2009,13stateswerescoringsignificantlyhigherthanIowa.In2009,theaverageNAEPreadingscoreforfourth-gradestudentsinIowawas221,whichwasnotsignificantlydifferentfromthatofthenation’spublicschools(220)andwaslowerthanIowastudents’performancein1992(225).Iowastudentshavestagnantscores,whilesimilarstudentsinmanyotherstatescontinuetoimprove.

Readingproficiencybytheendofthirdgradecanbeamake-or-breakpointinachild’seducationaldevelopment. Fourth grade is a crucial development point for student reading comprehension, whenkidstrulystart“readingtolearn”ratherthan“learningtoread”(Fiester,2010).Studentsareusingtheirskillstogainmoreinformationinsubjectareassuchasmathematicsandscience,tosolveproblems,tothinkcriticallyaboutwhattheyarelearning,andtoactuponandsharethatknowledge in the world around them. These data must be taken seriously.

NAEP Reading - Grade 4

“It’snotsomuchthatthequalityofIowa’s

schools is declining. It can easily be argued that schools in Iowa todayarebetterin

many ways than they used to be. The issue is that Iowa’s results have stagnated, while other

states and countries have done the work tomakedramatic

improvements to their systems which are

payingoff.Ifyouaren’tgettingbetter,youare

gettingworse.”

Jason E. Glass, Ed.D.state Director,

IowaDepartmentofEducation

200

205

210

215

220

225

230

19921 19941 19981 2000 2002 2003 2005 2007 2009

NAEP Reading Grade 4

Iowa*

National Public

Scal

e Sc

ore

Year

1Accomodations were not allowed prior to 2000.*Iowa did not test in 2000.

Iowa’s reading score ranking is slipping, not because Iowa schools are gettingworse.Rather,Iowaislosinggroundbecausemanyproficiencyoutcomes have stagnated while those in other states have surged. The chart on the following page shows thechangeinNAEPscalescoresfrom2003to2009forall50statesandthe District of Columbia in fourth-grade reading. Iowa students’ scores decreased by two scale-score points over this period.

NAEP Reading - Grade 41992 2009 Change

Average score Iowa 225 221 -4

AverageScoreNationalPublic 215 220 +5

Number of states SignificantlyHigher 0 13 -13

%StatesSignificantlyHigher 0% 27% -27%

2011 | RIsINg To gReATNess 9

-5.0 -3.0 -1.0 1.0 3.0 5.0 7.0 9.0 11.0 13.0 15.0

District of ColumbiaAlabama

FloridaMarylandKentucky

Rhode IslandMassachusetts

MississippiPennsylvania

TennesseeNew Mexico

North DakotaNew Jersey

GeorgiaNevada

CaliforniaTexas

KansasOklahoma

VirginiaNational Public

IllinoisIdaho

LousiannaOhio

VermontArkansas

HawaiiIndiana

New YorkColoradoNebraskaMontanaDelawareMissouri

New HampshireSouth Carolina

ArizonaMinnesota

ConnecticutWyoming

OregonWashington

UtahMaine

South DakotaAlaska

MichiganWisconsin

IowaNorth Carolina

West Virginia

Change In NAEP Reading Scale Scoresgrade 4 - 2003 to 2009

The evidence is clear.

Across all indices, Iowa’s reading skills

progress is lackluster while several other

states are catching up and moving forward.

These low levels of improvement are unacceptable if Iowa is to regain preeminence as a high-performing school system.

2011 | RIsINg To gReATNess10

76.478.5

75.978.8

76.779.8

76.880.4

77.7

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

2001-022002-032003-042004-052005-062006-072007-082008-092009-10

Percent of Students Proficient

Scho

ol Y

ear

ScoresonITBSmirrortheNAEPresultsinfourth-gradereading.ITBSis given in every public school and most private schools in Iowa.

BoththeITBSandNAEPshowlittlechange in achievement levels since 2000 in the percent at basic or above(NAEP)orproficient(ITBS).StudentscoresonNAEPappearedtobeimprovingin2007,butslippedbackin2009.ThepercentofstudentsproficientonITBS,scoringat the intermediate level or above, haschangedjustover1percent(1.3)during the past nine-year period.

27 31 30 31 30 33 26 31 40 34

37 34 35 34 36 34 38 35 33 34

29 27 28 28 26 29 27 21 24

78 7 7 7 7

7 76 7

19921 19941 19981 2002 2003 2005 2007 2009 19921 2009

Iowa National Public

100

75

50

25

0

25

50

Below basic At basic At proficient At advanced

Perc

ent o

f Stu

dent

s

28

Impact: Low achievement in reading has importantlong-termconsequencesintermsofindividualearningpotential,globalcompetitiveness,andgeneralproductivity.Lowliteracylevelsalsoshowastrongcorrelationwithpoverty, drop-out rates, crime, and unemployment.

opportunity: Promotingskillsthatleadtosuccessfulreadingacquisitionintheearlygradeswill help facilitate improvement in reading,writing,andlanguageuse,aswellasapositiveattitudetowardreadingtolearnthatwillbenefitstudents’ achievement in all subjects. Highlyeffectiveeducatorsmustbeableto determine students’ strengths and challenges and be able to successfully support each child using evidence-based practicesandprofessionaljudgment.

Flat-Line Achievement in ITBS grade 4 Reading All Iowa students

NAEP Grade 4 Reading - All Students

¹Accommodationswerenotpermittedforthisassessment.SOURCE:U.S.DepartmentofEducation,InstituteofEducationSciences,NationalCenterforEducationStatistics,NationalAssessmentofEducationalProgress(NAEP).

2011 | RIsINg To gReATNess 11

8th grade mathematics alsoflatlining.Theeighth-grademathematicsresultsshowasimilartrend.From1992to2009,Iowa’seighth-gradeNAEPmathematicsscoresfellfromthetopinthenationtoaverage.Iowastudentsscored16pointsabovethenationin1992(283).In2009,Iowascoreswereonlytwopointsabovethenationalmean.Note: The results do not show that Iowa’s performance diminished, rather that otherstateshavebeenincreasingatafasterrate,sometimesmuchfaster.

Sincethe1990s,theaveragemathematicsscoresofIowaeighth-gradestudentsontheStateNAEPassessmentshavenotgrownasmuchasscoresinmostotherstates.Duringthesameperiod,thenationalaveragescoreforpublicstudentshadasignificantgain.In1992,nostatesscoredsignificantlyhigherthanIowa,butby2009,15stateswerescoringsignificantlyhigher.

TheITBSmathematicsassessments,liketheNAEP,showlittlechangesince2000inthepercentofproficientstudents(ITBS)orbasicorabove(NAEP).ThepercentofIowastudentsscoringintheproficientrangeontheeighth-gradeITBSmathematicswas72percentin2001-02.Duringthe2009-10schoolyear,75.4percentofthestudentsscoredproficient,achangeofonly3.4percent over nine years.

NAEP Mathematics - grade 8

NAEP Mathematics - grade 81992 2009 Change

Average score Iowa 283 284 +1

AverageScoreNationalPublic 267 282 +15

Number of states SignificantlyHigher 0 15 -15

%StatesSignificantlyHigher 0% 31% -31%

250

255

260

265

270

275

280

285

290

19901 19921 19961 2000 2003 2005 2007 2009

NAEP Mathematics Grade 8

Iowa

National Public

*Accommodations were not allowed prior to 2000.*Iowa did not test in 2000.

Scal

e Sc

ore

Year

2011 | RIsINg To gReATNess12

7272.9

72.173.973.9

75.674.5

75.975.4

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Percent of Students Proficient

Scho

ol Y

ear

2001-022002-032003-042004-052005-062006-072007-082008-092009-10

30 24 22 24 25 23 24

4929

45 45 46 43 42 42 42 36 39

22 27 28 28 28 28 27

1325

34 4 5 6 7 7

2

7

50

25

0

25

50

75

100

19901 19921 19961 2003 2005 2007 2009 19901 2009

Iowa National Public

Below basic At basic At proficient At advanced

Perc

ent o

f Stu

dent

s

Flat-Line Achievement in ITBS grade 8 Mathematics All Iowa students

NAEP grade 8 Mathematics - All Students

¹Accommodationswerenotpermittedforthisassessment.SOURCE:U.S.DepartmentofEducation,InstituteofEducationSciences,NationalCenterforEducationStatistics,NationalAssessmentofEducationalProgress(NAEP).

2011 | RIsINg To gReATNess 13

This map shows the states that have higher percentages of eighth-grade students enrolled in higher-levelmathematicscoursesthan Iowa. students in only three states recorded lower enrollment in Algebra I or another higher-level mathematicscourse:Mississippi(26percent),NorthDakota(26percent),andLouisiana(24percent).Morethanhalfoftheeighth-grade students in Colorado, Massachusetts,Utah,Maryland,and California reported enrollment in Algebra I or another higher-level mathematicscourse.

Focal state/jurisdiction

Has a higher percentage than the focal state/jurisdiction

Is not significantly different from the focal state/jurisdiction

Has a lower percentage than the focal state/jurisdiction

Sample size is insufficient to provide a reliable estimate

NOTE: DoDEA=Department of Defense Education Activity (overseas and domestic schools).

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2009 Mathematics Assessment.

Mathematics, Grade 8Comparison of the percent of students taking Algebra I or other higher-level

mathematics in eighth grade.

District of Columbia

DoDEA

National Public

WA

UT

OR

CA

NV

ID

MT ND

WY

CO

AZ

SD

NE

KS

OK

TX

MN

IA

WI

MO

AR

LA

MS AL GA

FL

IL IN

MI

OH

KY

TNSC

NC

VAWV

PA

NY

VT ME

NHMA

NJDE

MD

RICT

HI

NM

AK

Impact: Aflatlineinmathematicsachievementresults puts Iowa students’ futures at risk. This is especially true for Iowa, as the state’s economy is so heavily based on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics(STEM)relatedfieldssuchasagriculture,agribusiness,finance,insurance, advanced manufacturing, and biosciences. As a result of so few Iowa students taking Algebra I, Iowa is not well positionedinpreparingitsstudentsforhigher-levelmathematicscoursesandalsotobecompetitiveintheglobalSTEMworkforce.

opportunity: To solve long-standing problems and add new talent to emerging opportunities,studentsneedhigherlevelsofunderstandingintheSTEMfields.Somestudentsmayalsorequireextrapreparationandsupporttofullybenefitfromhigherexpectationsandrigorousclasswork.Inaddition,fair assessments will be necessary to monitor progress and reliably measure students’ academic growth.

Not enough Iowa eighth graders are taking rigorous mathematics classes in school. AccordingtotheNationalCouncilofTeachersofMathematics(2000),preparingstudentsfortheincreasinglycomplexmathematicsofthiscenturyrequiresbeginningintheelementarygrades.Researchshowsthatduringmiddleschoolstudentsformthefoundationtopreparethemforhighermathematicsrequirementsinhighschoolandcollege(Chazan,1994;SREB,1998).Algebraisoftendescribedasthe“gatekeeper”foradvancedmathematicsandforentranceintocollege.Studentswhowishtotakecalculusduringtheirhighschoolcareer,butdonottakeAlgebraIearlyenough,mustfindsomewaytoacceleratetheiracademicprogresssuchastakingamathcourseinsummerschool.Yetonly29percentofeighth-gradeIowastudentstakingNAEPin2009wereenrolledinAlgebraIoranotherhigher-levelmathematicscourse(GeometryorAlgebraII).

2011 | RIsINg To gReATNess14

The majority of Iowa students are underperformingSome Iowans attribute Iowa’s sluggish education performance as a result of the state’s growing minority and economically-disadvantaged student population. however, that assumption is wrong. While Iowa demographics are changing—becoming more diverse, economically and ethnically—the same is happening in other states. A closer look reveals an alarming story about Iowa’s majority white student performance.When2009NAEPassessmentscoresaredisaggregatedbyraceandsocioeconomicstanding,Iowa’smeanscoresaresignificantlybelowthenationalaverageforwhitepoorandnon-poorstudents.(TheDepartmentofEducationusestheeligibilityofstudentstoreceivefreeorreduced-pricedlunch(FRL)asameasureforpoverty.)

NOTE: DoDEA=Department of Defense Education Activity (overseas and domestic schools).

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2009 Mathematics Assessment.

Reading, Grade 4 Comparison of NAEP average scale scores for non-poor, white students.

District of Columbia

DoDEA

National Public

WA

UT

OR

CA

NV

ID

MT ND

WY

CO

AZ

SD

NE

KS

OK

TX

MN

IA

WI

MO

AR

LA

MS AL GA

FL

IL IN

MI

OH

KY

TNSC

NC

VAWV

PA

NY

VT ME

NHMA

NJDE

MD

RICT

HI

NM

AK

Focal state/jurisdiction

Has a higher average scale score then the focal state/jurisdiction

Is not significantly different from the focal state/jurisdiction

Has a lower average scale score then the focal state/jurisdiction

Sample size is insufficient to provide a reliable estimate

This map comparesthe2009NAEPreadingscoresforrelativelyaffluent,whitefourth-gradestudents.Sixty-fourpercent of the fourth-grade students assessed in Iowa were non-poor white students. The average score for these students falls below scores for similar students in many other states and belowthenationalaverage.SimilarresultsappearfortheNAEPeighth-grademathematicsscores.

When the assessment scores for the white students are further disaggregatedbylocation,Iowa’s2009NAEPmeanscoresarebelowthenationalaverage.Forexample,inNAEPfourth-gradereading,Iowascores for non-poor, white students by schoollocalewere:city,232;suburb,236;town,228;andrural,227.Thesescoreswerestatisticallysimilar,butlessthanthenation’spublicschools’meanscoresforthesesamegroups(239,237,231,and232,respectively).

Impact: The underperformance of white students, who make up the majority of students in Iowa, is persistent across socioeconomic status and geography. Thesedatasuggestthatnolocation,notthe city schools nor the rural schools, are singularly at fault for the lack of growth in Iowa student assessment scores.Thisfindingisastatewideissuethatrequiressignificantattention.

opportunity: Byconcentratingonstudentassetsandaddressing diverse student needs, all Iowa students will have an increased opportunity to be prepared for future success. Iowa school administrators willneedtopromotehighexpectationsamongfaculty,staff,andstudents,andbeabletocommunicatetheseprioritiesto community stakeholders to ensure a shared vision for successful school improvement.

2011 | RIsINg To gReATNess 15

High school ACT performance shows promisePositivetrendscanbeseeninIowaACTaggregatescorescomparedtotherestofthenation.Iowaconsistentlyscoresaboutonepointhigherthanthenation(21.0).Thisisinlargepartduetothe homogeneity of the students tested in Iowa and the fact that that it is mostly college-bound students who take the ACT in Iowa, as opposed to some other states where all students take the ACT.Iowa’sACTcompositescoreaveragewas22.2forthegraduatingclassof2010.

Average ACT Composite Scores

The ACT test assesses high school students’ generaleducational

development and their ability to complete college-level work.

WhiletheACTshowssomewhatbetterresultsthanthenationalaveragewhenthescoresareaggregated,87percentofthe2010graduatestakingtheACTinIowawerewhite.Whenthe2010 ACT results are disaggregated by race, Iowa’s white students have a composite score of 22.5,similartothatofthenation’swhitestudents(22.3),andlessthantheone-pointdifferencebetweenallIowastudentsandthenationalaverage. Iowa’s white students score about the same as other white students across the nation on the ACT.

Averagetestscoresarealsoinfluencedbythepercentageofstudentstested.Almosthalf(47percent)of2010graduatesinthenationtooktheACTforanaveragecompositescoreof21.0.Sixstates tested 100 percent of their graduates in 2010, with an average composite score of 20.0. In 2010,thelargestdistrictinIowa,DesMoinesIndependent,requiredallseniorstotaketheACT.ThepercentageofIowa’sgraduatestakingtheACTwasrelativelysteadyfrom1998through2007,but more recently has dropped to around 60 percent in 2008 and remains at that level. The drop inparticipationinIowamaybeduetothelargeincreasesincommunity-collegeenrollmentacrossthestateinrecentyears.CommunitycollegesdonotrequireACTscoresforadmission.

Com

posi

te S

cale

Sco

re

0

4

8

12

16

20

24

28

31

36

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Iowa NationGraduating Class

2011 | RIsINg To gReATNess16

Impact: Studentsarenotadequatelyprepared,inspired, or connected for post-secondary successoropportunities.Asaresult,notall students possess the knowledge, skills, andexperiencesnecessaryforsuccessincollege or today’s workforce.

opportunity: Implementing,integrating,andpromotingcollege-andcareer-readybenchmarks for all students, not only those who are college-bound, will be an important step toward improving student preparedness.

Another important indicator is the percentage of students who are ready for post-secondary coursework.TheACTreportsonthepercentofstudentsmeetingcollege-readybenchmarkscoresineachofthefoursubjectsassessed(English,mathematics,reading,andscience),asdepicted in this chart:

In 2010, 30 percent of the Iowa students taking the ACT met all four benchmarks. The percent of Iowa students reaching these benchmarks has increased in three of the four subject areas during thelastfiveyearsinresponsetolegislationtoincreasegraduationrequirements.Thepercentofthenation’sgraduatesmeetingthesebenchmarksisconsistentlylowerthanthatofIowa’sgraduates.Forexample,51percentofIowa’sstudentstakingtheACTscoredatleasta22onthemathematicsassessment,demonstratingpreparednesstoentercollegealgebra,whileonly43percentofthenation’sstudentsreachedthisbenchmark.

TheACTdataarelimitedbecausetheyarenotarepresentativesampleoftheentirestateofIowa.TheACTinformationwouldonlybevalidforallIowastudentsifallstudentswereassessed.Forty percent of Iowa students do not take the ACT. The students who do take ACT are primarily bound for a four-year college or university.

Percent of ACT Test Takers College-ReadyIowa Nation

2005 2010 2005 2010

StudentsMeetingAllFourACTBenchmarkScores 26% 30% 21% 24%

CollegeEnglishComposition(ACTEnglishScore18) 77% 77% 68% 66%

CollegeAlgebra(ACTMathematicsScore22) 48% 51% 41% 43%

CollegeReading(ACTReadingScore21) 59% 61% 51% 52%

CollegeBiology(ACTScienceScore24) 34% 37% 26% 29%

2011 | RIsINg To gReATNess 17

Race, poverty, and disability performance gaps: Large, persistent, and unacceptableIowa’sachievementgapcanbeobservedonavarietyofmeasures,includingstandardizedtestscores,drop-outrates,andgraduationrates.TheIowaDepartmentofEducationcompletedastudyexaminingthefactorsinfluencingstudentachievement.Usingafive-yearmatchedcohort,trendswereanalyzedtodeterminepredictorsofachievement.Thestudyrevealedthatrace/ethnicity,poverty,anddisabilitystatusweresignificantpredictorsofstudentachievement.Disability status was the strongest predictor, minority status was second followed by poverty status(Grinstead,2011).Similargapsexistinotherstates.InIowa,thespacebetweenthesegapshas not really changed for several years.

Role of povertyThefollowingchartshighlightresultsoftheITBSforIowapublicschoolstudentsfromthe2001-02tothe2009-10schoolyear.Eachgradetestedcontainsapproximately32,000students.Fourth-gradereadingandeighth-grademathematicsresultsshowedslightlyimprovedproficiencyforstudentsreceivingFRLbetween2001-02and2009-10.Whilethisisgoodnews,thedatastillshowsizeableandpersistentgapsbetweenpoorandmoreaffluentstudents.

ITBS 4th grade Reading Results: PercentProficientBySocioeconomicStatus

What is an achievement

gap?The achievement gapisdefinedasthedifferenceona

numberofeducationalmeasures between the performance of

subgroups of students, especially subgroups classifiedbyrace/

ethnicity, disability, or socioeconomic status.

81.8 84.7 83.0 85.5 83.5 87.0 84.4 87.8 86.2

62.9 64.6 61.665.8 63.6 66.9 63.7

68.6 65.6

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010School Year

FRL Not Eligible FRL Eligible

Perc

ent o

f Stu

dent

s Pro

ficie

nt

78.0 79.1 80.1 81.1 80.9 83.3 82.3 84.0 83.6

52.2 54.6 52.457.0 57.6 58.9 57.9 59.6 60.6

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010School Year

FRL Not Eligible FRL Eligible

Perc

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f Stu

dent

s Pro

ficie

nt

ITBS 8th grade Mathematics Results: PercentProficientBysocioeconomic status

2011 | RIsINg To gReATNess18

Race/EthnicityInfourth-gradereading,essentiallynoachievementgapexistsbetweenwhiteandAsianstudents.In2009-10,thegapsbetweenwhitestudentsandHispanicandAfricanAmericanstudentswere21and25percentagepoints,respectively.Theseachievementgapshavenotchangedappreciablyovertime.

ITBS 4th grade Reading Results: PercentProficientByRace/Ethnicity

For every 10 white students, eight are scoringproficient.

For every 10 Hispanic studentsaboutsixarescoringproficient.And,

for every 10 African American students tested,onlyfivearescoringproficient.

0

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2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010School Year

White Hispanic African American

Perc

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nt

Ineighth-grademathematics,HispanicandAfricanAmericanstudentgroupslaggedbehindwhitestudentsinproficiencyby20and31percentagepoints,respectively.LessthanhalfoftheAfricanAmericanstudentstestedscoredintheproficientrangeofIowa’saccountabilityassessment.ThesefiguresindicatethatIowaisnotdoingwelleducatingmanyminoritystudentsthroughoutthe state.

ITBS 8th grade Mathematics Results: PercentProficientByRace/Ethnicity

0

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2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010School Year

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2011 | RIsINg To gReATNess 19

Achievement gap for students with disabilitiesTheachievementgapbetweenstudentsinIowawithandwithoutdisabilitiesonthe2009NAEPistheworstinthenation.Thegapforstudentswithdisabilitiesinfourth-gradereading(57percent)andeighth-grademathematics(58percent)islargestofallstatesandjurisdictionsbasedonthepercentofstudentsperformingatthebasicachievementlevelorabove.ThestateswiththesmallestgapswereMaryland(18percentforfourth-gradereading)andNorthDakota(28percentforeighth-grademathematics).

“ThepersistenceandsizeoftheachievementgapforstudentswithdisabilitiesinIowaisnotjustembarrassing—itisintolerable.”

Jason E. Glass, Ed.D.StateDirector,IowaDepartmentofEducation

NAEP 2009 Reading Grade 4 Percent at Basic or Above: Gap between Students with No Disabilities and Students with Disabilities

MarylandDistrict of Columbia

South DakotaIndiana

TennesseeDoDEA

KentuckyNorth Dakota

LouisianaNew Jersey

West VirginiaMississippi

South CarolinaFlorida

MichiganNevada

NebraskaMassachusetts

CaliforniaGeorgiaOregon

TexasNational Public

UtahMinnesota

IllinoisDelaware

New MexicoNorth Carolina

PennsylvaniaMissouriArizona

WashingtonKansas

VirginiaNew YorkColorado

OhioAlaska

MontanaWyoming

OklahomaMaine

AlabamaArkansas

Rhode IslandWisconsin

ConnecticutNew Hampshire

IdahoHawaii

VermontIowa

18.327.127.128.129.829.830.530.730.831.331.431.532.532.833.334.435.135.335.836.136.336.336.536.537.437.837.837.938.138.939.840.640.941.141.343.143.343.843.944.044.044.244.845.145.245.346.046.547.652.353.054.556.7

Percentage Points

NAEP 2009 Mathematics Grade 8 Percent at Basic or Above: Gap between Students with No Disabilities and Students with Disabilities

North DakotaMaryland

MassachusettsMinnesota

District of ColumbiaOhio

WisconsinNew York

FloridaConnecticut

MississippiLouisiana

IllinoisNebraska

New MexicoKentuckyMissouri

North CarolinaIndianaNevada

National PublicNew Hampshire

New JerseyColorado

KansasTexas

VirginiaWest Virginia

South CarolinaPennsylvania

DoDEAAlaska

GeorgiaCalifornia

TennesseeMaine

WyomingSouth Dakota

OklahomaDelawareMichigan

ArizonaRhode IslandWashington

OregonAlabamaArkansasVermont

UtahIdaho

HawaiiMontana

Iowa

27.730.035.236.938.739.239.439.539.839.940.340.940.941.041.141.541.641.841.942.242.742.843.543.743.743.944.044.344.644.845.145.746.146.446.846.846.947.447.948.048.148.248.448.548.849.449.953.254.555.057.257.558.1

Percentage Points

NAEP 2009 Reading grade 4 Percent at Basic or Above: gap between students with No DisabilitiesandStudentswithDisabilities

NAEP 2009 Mathematics grade 8 Percent at Basic or Above: gap between students with No

DisabilitiesandStudentswithDisabilities

2011 | RIsINg To gReATNess20

Achievement gaps next stepsSincethehistoricpublicationofTheColemanReportin1966,Equality of Educational Opportunity, schools have been working to close achievement gaps between middle-income, white students and racial, socioeconomic, and disability groups.

Research suggests that in-school factors and home/community factors impact the academic achievementofstudentsandcontributetothegap.Effortstocombattheachievementgaphavebeennumerous,buttoooftenarefragmented.Sucheffortshaverangedfromaffirmativeactionandmulticulturaleducationtofinanceequalization,improvingteacherquality,andschooltestingandaccountabilityprograms.Progresshasbeenmade,butithasbeenslow,notdramatic,andcurrentlyinsufficient.Iowamustcontinueworkingtofindsolutionsthatintegratein-school,home,andcommunity-basedresourcestosupportstudentswithextrachallenges.

Gapsinthelifeandschoolexperiencesofminoritygroupsandlow-incomechildrenparalleltheachievementgapsastheyhaveformanyyears(BartonandColey,2009).DemographicchangespresentconsiderablechallengestoIowaanditseducationsystem.TheIowaDepartmentofEducationrecentlybeganastatewideinitiativecalled,“ResponsetoIntervention,”aimeddirectlyat closing achievement gaps. It is believed that this evidence-based approach, if faithfully implemented,maymakeadifferenceinclosingthesechronicandpersistentachievementgaps.

Impact: Untilsignificantachievementoutcomesareattainedwithminoritystudentsatalleducationlevels,largeandgrowingsegments of Iowa’s students will be deprived of the skills and knowledge they need to compete in an increasingly global economy. Thus, Iowa’s inability to close achievement gaps becomes not justaneducationalchallenge,butalsoa concern for the long-term economic vitality of the state.

opportunity: Increasingattentionandsupportstoward underperforming student groups must be a priority to begin closing achievement gaps. This requiresthateveryclassroombestaffedwithahighlyeffectiveeducator who has the tools to activelyengage,motivate,andinstruct his/her students. Iowa must attract,prepare,support,andretainhighlyeffectiveeducators.

2011 | RIsINg To gReATNess 21

Iowa vs. the world:Is Iowa good enough? Not yet. graduates of Iowa schools compete not only with those from other states, but also with graduatesfromothernations.Theeconomyisglobal,andstudentsmustcompeteinternationallyforjobs.Thewaytoimprove,however,isnottoseekandconquer,buttoshareandlearnbestpracticesandsuccessfulexamples,andputthosebestpracticesintoactionwheretheymakesense.Measuringthesuccessofnewmethodsandpracticesthrough international benchmarking,orcomparingIowa’sresultstostudentresultsinothercountries,isacriticaltoolin assessing how well the state is doing.

Recently,EricHanushekandcolleagues(2010)comparedtheUnitedStates’studentmathematicsperformancetoothernationsseekinghighly-skilledworkforces(seechartonfollowingpage).Mathematicsproficiencyisakeymeasurethatemployersvalueinrecruitinganddevelopingcandidates for the highly-valued technology, engineering, health care, and research jobs neededtoadvanceacountry’sstandardoflivingandqualityoflife.Inrankingthepercentageof advanced students, Iowa was listed behind France, Norway, Ireland, and Russia, but above spain and Latvia.

on all measures reported, Iowa ranked below the U.S. national average and below many nations internationally. The analysis is but one indicator of how far Iowa must progress to produce a world-class workforce that can compete on the global stage.

Thelandmarkeducationreport,A Nation at Risk, noted that American students were outperformedoninternationalacademictestsbystudentsfromotherindustrialsocietiesandforcefullycondemnedthe“risingtideofmediocrity”thatwaserodingthenation’sschools,statingthat,“If an unfriendly foreign power had attempted to impose on America, the mediocre educational performance that exists today, we might well have viewed it as an act of war” (NCee, 1983).Theevidencepresentedinthisdocumentsuggeststhatseveralstates,andcertainlyothernationsaroundtheworld,haverespondedtothis“risingtide.”However,questionsstillremainastowhetherIowahassufficientlyconfrontedthisissueandifthestateisreadytotaketheactionsnecessarytomakesignificantsystemicimprovements.

Well-preparedstudentsareoneoftheessentialcomponentstocreatingahighly-skilledandcompetitiveworkforce.ArecentMcKinsey&Companyreport(2009)estimatesthat closing the achievement gap between the U.S. and other nations would generate an estimated $1.3 to $2.3 trillion increase in the gross Domestic Product.

Impact: Thelackofsignificantachievementgains is likely holding back the Iowa economy. every year that passes with anothergenerationofIowa’sgraduatesunderprepared for the global workforce is an opportunity lost that can never be reclaimed.

opportunity: InvestinginandsupportingIowa’sschoolswillbeacriticalstepinhelpingstrengthen the state’s economy. Studentsneedasolidfoundationforsuccess.Todosorequiresidentificationoflimitationsandreframingthemaschallengestoovercome.Innovationmust be boldly encouraged through sharing new ideas and insights with other educators and stakeholders. This meansidentifyingnewandbetterwaysto instruct students than ever before.

2011 | RIsINg To gReATNess22

0.60.80.81

1.31.41.4

1.72.32.42.5

2.933.13.33.43.53.6

4.14.34.44.54.54.64.64.74.84.84.9555.15.25.35.45.55.65.75.75.75.8666

6.26.36.36.56.56.66.76.76.8

7.17.27.3

7.87.97.98.38.58.68.68.78.78.88.99

1010.110.110.1

10.811

11.411.4

1313.1

13.614.1

14.715.1

15.715.916.1

17.61919.1

20.423.2

23.928

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

@24A8R$

Percent of Students

TaiwanHong Kong

KoreaFinland

SwitzerlandBelgium

NetherlandsLiechtensteinNew Zealand

Czech RepublicJapan

CanadaMacao

AustraliaGermany

AustriaMassachusetts

SloveniaDenmark

MinnesotaIcelandFrance

EstoniaSweden

United KingdomSlovakia

VermontWashingtonNew Jersey

LuxembourgHungary

PolandNorwayVirginiaIreland

ConnecticutOregon

LithuaniaNorth Carolina

MarylandSouth Carolina

WisconsinOhio

South DakotaNew Hampshire

New YorkColorado

TexasNebraska

United StatesRussiaAlaska

PennsylvaniaIowa

SpainMontanaMichigan

IllinoisLatvia

KansasIndianaMaine

DelawareItaly

North DakotaIsraelUtah

FloridaArizona

IdahoCalifornia

PortugalGeorgia

MissouriTurkey

WyomingKentucky

Rhode IslandNevada

ArkansasTennessee

HawaiiOklahoma

AlabamaLouisiana

West VirginiaNew Mexico

MississippiChileBrazil

ArgentinaMexico

Juris

dicti

on

Class of 2009: PercentageofstudentsatadvancedlevelinmathinselectedU.S.statesandcountriesparticipatinginPISA2006.

2011 | RIsINg To gReATNess 23

Collegedegreeattainment below averageIn the recent report, The Undereducated American,CarnevaleandRose(2011)makethecasethattheUnitedStates’educationsystemisunderpreparingthenationalworkforceforthefutureneedsoftheU.S.economy.TheyestimatethattheU.S.economywillneedanother20millionworkerswithatleastsomepost-secondaryeducationoverthenext15years.

Regionally,26percentofthepopulationage25andolderintheMidwestheldabachelor’sdegreein2009.Thisisslightlybelowthenationalaverageof27.9percent.ThestatewiththelowestpercentwasIndiana(22.5)whilethehighestwasMinnesotaat(31.5).Outofthe12Midwesternstates,Iowahadthefourthlowestpercentageofpeoplewithabachelor’sdegreein2009(25.1).

TheDistrictofColumbiahadthehighestpercentinthenationofresidentswithbachelor’sdegreesat48.5percent,whileWestVirginiahadthelowestpercentat17.3percent.Outofthe51territoriesincludedinthisanalysis(50statesandtheDistrictofColumbia),Iowatiedforthe16thlowestpercentofpeoplewithabachelor’sdegreein2009.

Impact: Without a focus on college- and career-readiness for all students, Iowawillcontinuetolagbehindotherstates in having a highly-educated workforce. This will decrease Iowa students’competitiveadvantageandreduceopportunitiesforIowa’seconomytoflourish.

opportunity: Iowa’seducationsystemmustsupporteffortstoensurethatstudentsleavetheelementary and secondary system with theskillstosucceedatthenextlevel.InorderforIowatoattractandretaina highly-educated and skilled talent, the Iowaeducationsystemmustprovidetools and resources to support a world-class workforce.

2011 | RIsINg To gReATNess24

SOURCE: American Community Survey, 2009

Less than 25.0

25.0 - 29.9

30.0 or More

25.8

25.1

27.4

29.5

31.5

25.1

25.7

25.2

30.6 22.5

24.6

24.1

Percent

U.S. Average = 27.9%

Percent of Population (age 25 or older) with at Least a Bachelor’s Degree

2011 | RIsINg To gReATNess 25

Conclusion

ProudofthepastFromtheone-roomschoolhousedepictedonthestate’scommemorativequarterproclaiming“foundationineducation”tothemodernschoolsofthestatetoday,Iowahasaricheducationhistory.TheACTandtheIowaTestsofBasicSkillsbeganhere.Iowaledthenationinscholasticachievementfordecades.TeachersgraduatingfromIowacollegeanduniversityeducationprogramshavebeen,andstillare,highlysoughtafteracrossthecountry.

ButthiswonderfuleducationpicturealsorevealsareasinwhichIowacanandmustmakedramaticimprovements.Thistruthgrowsmorevivideveryday.Iowa’straditionineducationhasbecome simultaneously the state’s greatest strength and its greatest liability. That is, the state’s perceptionofbeinggoodhaspreventedIowafromdoingthethingsthatneedtobedonetobecome great.

Iowamusthaveaworld-classeducationsystemtohaveaworld-classworkforce.Educationalattainmentmakesasignificantimpactoneconomicachievementnationallyandinternationally.All Iowa students need to graduate college- and career-ready. This means raising the bar forIowa.Jerald(2008)notesthattheUnitedStates(andIowa)cannotaffordtorestonitspast accomplishments.

“Theglobaleconomyis here…if state leaders

want to ensure that their citizenscancompete,theymustseizethe

initiative,lookingbeyondAmerica’s borders and

benchmarking their educationsystemswiththebestintheworld.”

Jerald, 2008

Preparingforthefuture:Iowa’s opportunityIfIowaistoattainthegoalofbecominganationalleaderineducation,whatdoesthestateneedtodonext?TheIowaeducationsystemmustsetaclearandcohesivepolicydirection.Iowamustconstructareform-mindedagendawhichbuildsfromitsstrengthsand past accomplishments.

Iowa must build and support an educator workforce of world-class quality. Iowahastosupporteducatorsacrossthecontinuumfromteacherpreparationprogramsthroughmentoringandinductionintoandthroughouttheircareers.Iowa’spreparationprogramsshouldprovideclearexpectationswhicharelinkedwiththestate’sTeachingStandardsandalignednationally.Itisessentialtoretainthesefutureteachersthroughathoughtful,strategiccompensationandsupportprogram.

Iowa student achievement once led the nation.Wemustnowbuildaneducationsystemthatleadstheworld.Iowamusthaveclearstandardsandhigherexpectationsforallstudents.Fairmeasuresmustbeimplementedandusedtoprovidefeedbackacrosstheeducationsystem.Educatorsrequireasystemofmultiplemeasureswhichcanprovidefeedbacktogaugesupportsneededforinstructionalimprovement.

Intheinnovationage,Iowastudentsmustnotonlylearntousethetechnologyofthe21stcentury,butalsomusttakecommandofthesetechnologies. The state must provide student learning environments that encourage and support progress. It is not enough to know how to use computers or mobile apps. students must understand their design and the higher purpose and advancements that technology can enable. It is not enough just to read well or speak well or write accurately. students must be taught to persuade and defend and do so convincingly.Thosestatesandcountriesthatfailtobreakthroughtothesenewlevelswillactinsupportingroles.Thosethatsucceedwillbuild and own the future.

Toattainthesenewcompetitivethresholdswillrequirehighly effective educators for every student, a clear set of expectations for all students, and a spirit of aspiration and innovationgearedtowardimprovinglearning.Itwillalsorequireacommitmenttoadequatefundingoftheeffort,strategicuseofpreciousandfinitetaxdollars,andthepoliticalwilltoengageinimprovingschoolsoverthelonghaul.Buildinggreatschoolscomesfromdedicatedandfocusedeffortswiththesingulargoalofincreasedstudentachievement―andnotfromsilver-bullet,gimmick,orpatchworkfixesdesignedtoappeaseaspecialinterestoranyparticularideology.

TheopportunitytorestoreIowa’sproudeducationtraditiontogreatnessishere.ThefuturewilltellifIowaembracedtheboldstepsneeded to help its students vigorously compete and prosper in a rapidly-changing world.

2011 | RIsINg To gReATNess26

References/CitationsBarton,P.,&Coley,R.(2009).Parsing the achievement gap II.Princeton,NJ:EducationalTestingService.Retrievedfromhttp://www.ets.org/Media/Research/pdf/PICPARSINGII.pdf

Carnevale,A.,&Rose,S.(2011).The undereducated American.Washington,DC:GeorgetownUniversityCenteronEducationandtheWorkforce.Retrievedfromhttp://www9.georgetown.edu/grad/gppi/hpi/cew/pdfs/undereducatedamerican.pdf

Chazan,D.(1994).Algebraforallstudents?Journal of Mathematical Behavior,15(4),455–77.

Fiester,L.,&AnnieE.CaseyFoundation(2010).Early warning! Why reading by the end of third grade matters.(KIDSCOUNTSpecialReport).Retrievedfromhttp://www.aecf.org

Grinstead,M.(2011).Mobility and attendance: Effects on student achievement. Unpublished manuscript.

Hanushek,E.A.,Peterson,P.E.,&Woessmann,L.(2010).U.S. math performance in global perspective: How well does each state do at producing high-achieving students?Cambridge,MA:HarvardProgramonEducationPolicyandGovernance&Education.Retrievedfromhttp://www.hks.harvard.edu/pepg/PDF/Papers/PEPG10-19_HanushekPetersonWoessmann.pdf

Hart,B.,&Risley,T.R.(1995).Meaningful differences in the everyday experience of young American children.Galtimore,MD:PaulH.BrookesPublishingCo.

Hernandez,D.J.(2011).Double jeopardy: How third-grade reading skills and poverty influence high school graduation. special Report. Annie E.CaseyFoundation.Retrievedfromhttp://www.aecf.org

IowaDepartmentofEducation.(2011).Achievement gaps in Iowa. Retrieved from intersect.iowa.gov

Jerald,C.D.(2008).Benchmarking for success: Ensuring U.S. students receive a world-class education.Washington,DC:NationalGovernorsAssociation,CouncilofChiefStateSchoolOfficers,andAchieve.Retrievedfromhttp://www.achieve.org/BenchmarkingforSuccess

McKinsey&Company.(2009).The economic impact on the achievement gap in America’s schools.Retrievedfromhttp://www.mckinsey.com/App_Media/Images/Page_Images/Offices/SocialSector/PDF/achievement_gap_report.pdf

NationalCommissiononExcellenceinEducation(NCEE).(1983).A Nation at Risk.WashingtonDC:UnitedStatesDepartmentofEducation.

NationalCouncilofTeachersofMathematics.(2000). Principles and standards for school mathematics.Reston,VA:NCTM.

SouthernRegionalEducationBoard(SREB).(1998).Education’s weak Link: Student performance in the middle grades. Atlanta, gA: sReD.

Walker,D.,Greenwood,C.,Hart,B.,&Carta,J.(1994).Predictionofschooloutcomesbasedonearlylanguageproductionand socioeconomic factors. Child Development, 65, 606–621.

2011 | RIsINg To gReATNess 27

Jay PenningtonChiefBureauofInformationandAnalysisIowaDepartmentofEducation

Dianne Chadwick, Ed.D.AdministrativeConsultantBureauofInformationandAnalysisIowaDepartmentofEducation

Writers

Jason E. Glass, Ed.D.state DirectorIowaDepartmentofEducation

Tom Deeter, Ph.D.Lead Consultant BureauofInformationandAnalysisIowaDepartmentofEducation

Mary grinsteadEducationProgramConsultantBureauofInformationandAnalysisIowaDepartmentofEducation

Xiaoping Wang, Ph.D.AdministrativeConsultantBureauofInformationandAnalysisIowaDepartmentofEducation

Amy williamsonAdministrativeConsultantBureauofStudentandFamilySupportServicesIowaDepartmentofEducation

Linda FandelSpecialAssistantforEducationOfficeofGovernorTerryE.Branstad

Contributors

Acknowledgements

Marcia KriegerAdministrativeAssistantIowaDepartmentofEducation

Proofing and Editing