POLICY PAPER: "Closing our Educational Achievement Gaps: Fostering Innovation in K-12 Education"

America's education system is losing ground internationally.  In 2006, American 15-year olds ranked 25^th out of 30 industrialized countries in math and 21^st in science.  Meanwhile, taxpayers pay an estimated $1 billion annually to cover remedial college courses simply because a high school diploma no longer guarantees students are prepared for college.  Money alone is not the answer: over the past 25 years, public spending per student has increased by almost 75% with little improvement in educational outcomes.  To make matters worse, teachers who score highest on certification exams are leaving the profession at 50% higher rates than the lowest scorers.  Something must be done now to properly educate future generations of American workers and protect our nation's long-term economic stability.

Hope Street Group recommends a plan to establish targets through state standards and assessments based on real world demands; build the talent pool by transforming teaching into an iconic profession; and create useful tools that support high-quality instruction by investing in 21^st Century data systems.