Not all Iowa students graduate from high school with the skills and knowledge they need for success. On average, Iowa students perform well in comparison to students from other states. But there is a wide range in achievement among Iowa students when achievement is broken out by factors such as income, race and gender. In addition, Iowa students' scores on standardized tests, such as the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills, are beginning to slip. The society Iowa children live in is changing, yet not every school has adjusted to accommodate all of these changes.
Many children lack nurturing, stable family support.
More Iowa children are living in poverty. In addition, many communities are serving growing numbers of immigrant students or ethnic minority students. Research shows that all of these factors influence how students achieve in school. While there are many districts in Iowa that are moving quickly to improve, many Iowa school districts lack the expertise to put proven methods for raising student achievement into practice in the classroom. Many changes in education by educators, school boards and public policy makers to date have been fragmented, not comprehensive changes that increase student achievement.