On October 15, 2019, I read a report produced by Thomas B. Fordham Institute (TBF) president, Michael Petrilli, entitled, “Fewer Children Left Behind: Lessons from the Dramatic Achievement Gains of the 1990s and 2000s.”
This 2019 report builds on a 2017 report by Petrilli in a TBF commentary piece prior to release of the 2017 National Assessment of Educational Progress [NAEP] scores, in which Petrilli et al. concluded the following:
- There have been [NAEP score] gains almost across the board since the 1990s.
- Most of the gains happened in the 1990s and early 2000s.
- Progress in math has been especially remarkable.
- Children of color are reading much better in the early grades than before.
Right out of the starting gate, I took issue with the likes of Michael Petrilli issuing such a report because of his history as an ed-reform salesman.
Before proceeding with discussion related to TBF’s…
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