Securing education's future

Abstract

How a country evaluates student performance greatly influences the views of its government and citizenry on the quality of its education system and its standing on the global economic stage. Given the impact on future prosperity, health, and well-being, regularly collecting and analyzing data on student achievement are essential for informing investments in education. In the United States, national assessments and surveys help guide this process. However, efforts to dismantle the Department of Education, the agency that manages this activity, threaten this strategic data collection, information repository, and research infrastructure.