Top Performers
Marc Tucker was president of the National Center on Education and the Economy. For two decades, his research focused on the policies and practices of the countries with the best education systems. This blog is no longer being updated.
College & Workforce Readiness
Opinion
Educating for a Digital Future: Thoughts on Curriculum
Marc Tucker shares his ideas on what knowledge and experiences young people might need in order to cope with the rise of artificial intelligence technologies described in his blog from last week.
College & Workforce Readiness
Opinion
Educating for a Digital Future: The Challenge
With the rise of artificial intelligence technologies, Marc Tucker discusses the implications for education and learning.
Budget & Finance
Opinion
School Funding and Teacher Experience in Maryland
Marc Tucker discusses the work of the Maryland Commission on Excellence and Innovation in Education, with support from NCEE, to update the state's school funding formula and to develop policies and practices to match the performance of the world's top-performing education systems.
Teaching Profession
Opinion
Charters Licensing Their Own Teachers: A Symptom of Failure, Not a Cure
Given the recent debate around charters certifying their own teachers, Marc Tucker weighs in and calls for high professional standards for all teachers regardless of school type.
School & District Management
Opinion
U.S. Needs More Top-Notch School Leaders and Here's What it Will Take
With the release of NCEE's new report, Preparing to Lead: Lessons in Principal Development from High-Performing Education Systems, Marc Tucker discusses how top-performing countries are selecting, developing and supporting school leaders.
School & District Management
Opinion
Has the United States Been 'Sleepwalking Through History' or Not?
Marc Tucker responds to critics of his argument that the U.S. has been sleepwalking in its approach to improving education compared to other countries.
School & District Management
Opinion
Germany Rapidly Improved Their Schools and We Didn't—Why?
After disappointing PISA results in 2000, Marc Tucker looks at why Germany reacted with system-wide reform while the United States responded with complacency.
College & Workforce Readiness
Opinion
Using the SAT as a High School Exit Exam? Not Such a Good Idea
Despite its use by a growing number of states and districts, Marc Tucker weighs in on why the SAT may not be the best measurement for college readiness.
Social Studies
Opinion
Can History Teachers Build a New Politics?
History teachers are uniquely positioned to move the country beyond its current politics of division and anger, argues Marc Tucker.
Teaching Profession
Opinion
Teachers' Pay: What On Earth Are We Thinking?
With the U.S. facing the largest pay gap between teachers and similar professionals of any country surveyed by the OECD, Marc Tucker asks when we will finally address the embarrassingly obvious.
Equity & Diversity
Opinion
Differences in Performance WITHIN Schools: Why So Much Greater Than in Other Countries?
Marc Tucker looks at the reasons why the United States has one of the largest gaps in student achievement within schools.
Education
Opinion
Immigration Policy in the Time of Trump
As President Trump backs a controversial Senate plan to cut legal immigration in half and focus the remainder on highly skilled applicants, Marc Tucker explores how a real skills-based immigration strategy could support economic growth.
Education
Opinion
Teaching History in Troubled Times
Given the recent debate over Confederate monuments, Marc Tucker reflects on the role of the history teacher.
Special Education
Opinion
Have We Got Special Education All Wrong?
Would disadvantaged students be better served with additional supports of a kind different than labeling them as special education students? Marc Tucker looks at what the international evidence suggests.