Good Scores, Bad Scores (New and Notable):

Dueling reports came out this week, one from Bruce Fuller claiming that there had been little progress in American schools over the past few years: Are test scores really rising? (in Education Week). The other from the Education Trust pointing to important progress: Study lauds math, reading scores (Sacramento Bee), Study Finds Progress in Reading, Math, but Results Fall Short of Standards (Seattle Times), Schools won't meet goals set for 2014, group reports (Contra Costa Times). Perhaps recalling a week’s worth of bad news over the summer surrounding the AFT-provided analysis of charter school performance, the USDE wasted no time in overreacting. And in The Gadfly (Silly season in academe), Checker Finn recalls the hullaballoo surrounding the 2000 RAND study supposedly undercutting the Texas ‘miracle,’ points out that it didn't take the Kerry campaign long to use the Fuller study against the President in the debate, and then spins an election-season conspiracy theory involving the press, foundations, and academics. Too bad he doesn't take a moment to mention the Ed Trust report showing positive trends, which got much more press, or another moment to berate the USDE for its fake news reports. Meanwhile: Study of College Readiness Finds No Progress in Decade (New York Times). See below for more New and Notable.