The lowest-performing American students have made big achievement gains over the last eight years, but the performance of the top students has been "languid," according to a new study by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. The study argues this is a pattern associated with testing and school accountability systems, including No Child Left Behind.

A survey included as part of the Fordham study (and conducted by former Public Agenda staffers Steve Farkas and Ann Duffett) finds most teachers say struggling students are the priority in their school, with 81 percent saying these pupils are more likely to get one-on-one attention.

"In a time of fierce international competition, can we afford to let the strongest languish?" asked Fordham president Chester Finn.

Meanwhile, Public Agenda's survey research suggests that parents aren't as concerned about advanced learning as they are about "the basics." In fact, while educators and business leaders worry about the U.S. losing its educational edge, Public Agenda’s 2006 Reality Check survey found most parents think their child's education is already pretty advanced. Six in 10 say their child is getting a better education than they did, and that the material their child is learning is harder than what they learned (65 percent).

Read the Fordham report: www.edexcellence.net/detail/news.cfm?news_id=732&id=92

Read Public Agenda’s Reality Check report: www.publicagenda.org/research/research_reports_details.cfm?list=100

Source: Public Agenda, 6.19.08