Improving Student Achievement. What State NAEP Test Scores Tell Us

Great efforts have been made to improve the nations public K-12 educational system since the early 1980s. States have been the primarily initiators of this educational reform. States have leverage to reform education because they provide approximately one-half of educational funding to typical school districts in the nation and set policies that influence who teaches and what is taught. Furthermore, state courts also play a key role in deciding whether educational funds are adequate and equitably distributed. Even before 1980, the states had diverse educational systems that varied widely in terms of per-pupil spending, resource allocation, and educational policies. Reforms that have been initiated since then have varied widely by state in terms of the pace and types of reform, ensuring a continuing widely diverse set of educational systems across states.