A Nation at Risk 2008
25 Years Later
Special coverage marking the 25th anniversary of the landmark report A Nation at Risk is supported in part by a grant from the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation. For more stories, take a look at the previous anniversary collections: 20th | 10th | 5th.
Federal
Network Says 'YES' to College for All
A group of Texas charters aims to expand the ranks of disadvantaged students who graduate, not just from high school, but college as well.
Teaching
Opinion
Waiting for the Transformation
“It would make more sense to have an education system that focuses on what students learn, rather than what they are taught,” writes Arthur E. Levine.
School & District Management
Opinion
A Report's Forgotten Message: Mobilize
"The tragedy of A Nation at Risk is that those who were roused to action by the language of crisis got only half the report's message: the need for school standards," writes David S. Seeley.
School & District Management
Opinion
The Long Progression of New Ideas
A tour of the Commentary archives shows writing on reform ideas has been a time-honored tradition.
Assessment
Chat
Adding More Time for Learning
Gretchen E. Bueter and An-Me Chung discuss the implications of adding more hours to the instructional day and more days to the school year.
School & District Management
Consensus on Learning Time Builds
Under enormous pressure to prepare students for a successful future—and fearful that standard school hours don’t offer enough time to do so—educators, policymakers, and community activists are adding more learning time to children’s lives.
Federal
Research Yields Clues on the Effects of Extra Time for Learning
Since A Nation at Risk in 1983, one blue-ribbon panel after another has called for expanding learning time as a way to boost student achievement. Yet studies only recently have begun to document the potential impact that a little extra learning time might have in practice.
Teaching
Time—On Teens' Terms
Chicago’s After School Matters is a national model for involving older students in activities to develop their skills and talents.
Teaching
Opinion
How Much Time for Learning? A Tour of the Archives
Contributors to Education Week’s Commentary section needed little encouragement from the drafters of A Nation at Risk to contemplate the question of how best to deploy school time to improve student achievement. Variations on the theme of time and learning have been a staple for Commentary writers.
Federal
Opinion
Before the 'Either-Or' Era
Former U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley and his longtime adviser Terry K. Peterson share in the following essay their reflections on those experiences, as seen through the prism of A Nation at Risk, the influential 1983 critique of American education.
International
Chat
The Use of International Data to Improve U.S. Schools
Dane Linn and Iris C. Rotberg discuss the impact of A Nation at Risk and the potential for using international comparison data to improve academic standards and student achievement in U.S. schools.
International
America Scouts Overseas to Boost Education Skills
As state leaders reassess the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in a competitive economy, they are weighing plans to gauge how their schools measure up against those of Singapore, South Korea, and Japan, as well as Finland and other European nations—all perennial leaders on international assessments.
Federal
Researchers Gain Insight Into Education's Impact on Nations' Productivity
Today, a mounting database of results from international studies has made it possible for researchers to start exploring the relationship between education and economic growth in much more systematic ways than in 1983.