Report Says Urban Schools Are "Beating the Odds" though Still Below National Averages

Earlier this year, the Council of the Great City Schools released its third annual report measuring the performance of students in urban school districts on state math and reading assessments. "Beating the Odds: A City-By-City Analysis of Student Performance and Achievement Gaps on State Assessments" examines student achievement from the 2001-2002 school year, the most recent results available. Data collected from 59 urban school systems in 36 states paints an "emerging picture" of students making progress, especially in mathematics, while gains in reading scores have been more moderate.

Beating the Odds III reports that reading and math achievement have both improved in urban school districts. Since the Council's previous analysis of data from 2000-2001, more schools have increased their scores in math and reading. The study also suggests that achievement gaps may be narrowing between urban districts and state averages, between African Americans and Whites, and between Hispanics and Whites. Beating the Odds III additionally contains 59 member district profiles providing detailed information on the cities' test scores and urban characteristics.

While increasing test scores and narrowing gaps demonstrate improvement, urban school districts continue to score below national averages for both reading and math. The study suggests that big-city districts experience more overcrowding and larger percentages of minority, low-income, and English Language Learner students than their non-urban counterparts. In addition, as reported recently in Education Week, school districts in many states are now dealing with state budget cuts that affect their capacity to educate students. Students in urban districts cannot continue to "beat the odds" unless their education is better funded.

Beating the Odds III emphasizes that its findings are preliminary. Although the federal "No Child Left Behind" Act was not enacted until January 2002, the authors attempted, when possible, to provide data in a manner applicable to NCLB.

Prepared September 26, 2003