As reported earlier in the ALSC blog, ALSC Councillor Sandra Stotsky is bringing her decades of education reform to a new ALSC-funded study on high school literature curricula. The study will gather information on English programs in US high schools, exploring whether or not current programs of study challenge students and adequately prepare them for college-level studies in the humanities. The findings of the study will be published as a forthcoming issue of the ALSC journal Forum.
The New York Times news blog Room for Debate has also taken advantage of Stotsky’s expertise, publishing her response to the recently released results of the National Assessment of Education test. In her piece, she expresses disappointment with plateaued scores in high school English and Mathematics. She suggests a shift in English curricula for grades six through twelve that include more complex works. According to Stotsky, the small average gains in test scores are disproportionate to the thirty-five years of federal and state governmental assistance, despite the minor improvement in the achievement gap separating low-income students from their peers.
Stotsky has worked in the field of education reform for over thirty years and has received numerous grants and awards. ALSC is excited to publish the results of her ongoing study.
– Thom Plasse
ALSCW News 