This chat page will automatically refresh as soon as a new question or reply is added. There is nothing the user needs to do to view the proceedings of the chat on this page. Measures of student achievement are splashed across the front page of major newspapers, widely available on the Internet, and the subject of intense scrutiny and furious spin.
Politicians closely watch test scores.
From the race to the White House to the thousands of contests for local school boards, candidates stretch and bend scores to make them look as good or as bad as possible. Teachers unions and other organizations cite data to defend public schools and assure the public that all is well or at least not as bad as everyone thinks. On the other side, critics of public schools publish voluminous studies documenting a steady decline in student performance. Tom Loveless , an expert in education, student performance, and school reform issues, helps sort through these various interpretations in this live internet chat. We're out of time now.