NEA Policy Publications on Closing Student Achievement Gaps

NEA Publications

The following publications highlight the work being done in NEA's state affiliates, and they offer ideas on how to impact policy that will help to close the achievement gaps.

NEA Policy Briefs  (2008)

• Changing Role of School Leadership  ( PDF, 283KB, 4pp)
  
  
• Charter Schools: Proceed Deliberately, Monitor Diligently, and Learn What Can Be Scaled Up  ( PDF, 210KB, 4pp)
  
  
• Class Size Reduction: A Proven Reform Strategy ( PDF, 193KB, 4pp)
  
  
• Closing the Gap through Extended Learning Opportunities ( PDF, 210KB, 4pp)
  
  
• Disproportionality: Inappropriate Identification of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Children  ( PDF, 232KB, 4pp)
  
  
• Early Childhood Education and School Readiness  ( PDF, 202KB, 4pp)
  
  
• English Language Learners Face Unique Challenges  ( PDF, 205KB, 4pp)
  
  
• Full-Day Kindergarten Helps Close Achievement Gaps  ( PDF, 198KB, 4pp)
  
  
• Growth Models--A More Accurate Way To Determine Student Progress  ( PDF, 186KB, 4pp)
  
  
• Mathematics and Science for Every Girl and Boy  ( PDF, 990KB, 4pp)
  
  
• Parent, Family, Community Involvement in Education  (  PDF, 198KB, 4pp)
  
  
• Promoting Educators' Cultural Competence To Better Serve Culturally Diverse Students ( PDF, 201KB, 4pp)
  
  
• Reforming High Schools for the 21st Century—An Imperative  ( PDF, 212KB, 4pp)
  
  
• Standards: A Limited Tool for Education Improvement ( PDF, 197KB, 4pp)
  
  
• Subsidizing Private Education–At Taxpayer Expense ( PDF, 228KB, 4pp)
  
  
• Technology in Schools: The Ongoing Challenge of Access, Adequacy and Equity ( PDF, 199KB, 4pp)
  
  
• Volatility in Census Poverty Estimates for ESEA Title I Grants Undermines Planning, Resource Allocation  ( PDF, 288KB, 4pp)
  
  
• Vouchers: What Is At Stake?  ( PDF, 164KB, 4pp)
  
  
• Voucher Schemes: A Bad IDEA for Students with Disabilities ( PDF, 235KB, 4pp)

Other NEA Policy Publications

» Full-Day Kindergarten: An Advocacy Guide  (2007)
Full-day kindergarten is an essential bridge between pre-k and the primary grades. NEA believes that full-day kindergarten is a critical component of closing the achievement gaps for young children from non-English speaking and low-income families.

» NEA on Prekindergarten and Kindergarten (2004) (  PDF, 748KB, 16pp)
NEA believes that all children ages three and four should have access to prekindergarten programs that are high quality, universal and publicly funded. Research shows that a child exposed to good preschool programs before age five will reap lifetime benefits. Quality preschool also increases the chances of a student doing better in early grades, closing the achievement gap and graduating from high school.

» NEA's Plan for Reducing the High School Dropout Rate        
NEA has a 12-point plan that combines the efforts of parents, teachers, business leaders, and lawmakers using tactics tried through research and professional experience.

» State Legislative Successes (June 2007)
Brief stories of nine NEA state affiliates that have secured public policies and associated funding for closing the achievement gaps in 2006-07, seven of them with help from an NEA Grant to Close Achievement Gaps, which was made available to interested states.  

NEA Grants for State Affiliates

NEA is taking a leadership role in improving achievement for all students and closing the achievement gaps, particularly for low-income and minority students. To do this, NEA is working with state affiliates in securing public policies and associated funding for closing the achievement gaps. NEA provides information, resources, and technical assistance to support state affiliates' efforts to secure policy changes to close gaps through:

• Passing statewide legislation
• Changing state regulations
• Modifying the scope or content of negotiated agreements or local contracts
• Changing state affiliate policy to position the affiliate for statewide action

NEA Grants to Close Student Achievement Gaps, 2006-2007 ( PDF, 688KB, 30pp)
This report summarizes the work that's been done to date. 

Related Content

NEA Research, Tools, & Talking Points on Achievement Gaps  - Resources for closing achievement gaps.

Resources from Other Organizations on Achievement Gaps - Reports & Web sites on closing achievement gaps.