Changing the narrative

Education policymakers and reformers have sought for many years to illuminate student needs and public schools’ performance through standardized test scores, graduation rates and other “outcome” measures. Now, there are expanding efforts to add to the education equation the myriad factors that research says contribute to student achievement. These equity indicators go far beyond disparities in test scores and graduation rates to include broader measures of student outcomes such as course completion rates, a deeper understanding of disparities in school-based opportunities to learn such as access to advanced coursework and same-race teachers, and the school and community conditions that influence student learning, including financial resources, food security, health care, neighborhood safety, and reliable internet and transit.