From 2004 to 2010, the Brazilian Economy grew at an annual average rate of 4.4%. This result was double the average growth of the 1981-1993 period, although it did not reach the exceptional average of 7.5% registered between 1947 and 1980. Growth slowed in the aftermath of the global financial crisis, despite the 30 year record high growth achieved in 2010. After decades of stop-and-go growth, the recent period has been exceptional for the marked improvements in employment and the reduction of income inequality.

This report explores the use of student achievement data to improve classroom instruction. The paper, Promoting Data in the Classroom: Innovative State Models and Missed Opportunities, highlights examples from two states, Oregon and Delaware, of federally funded, state-driven efforts to equip teachers with the tools they need to utilize student data.

[Download the full paper here].

After besting the world in college attainment for much of the 20th century, the United States now ranks sixteenth in the share of adults ages 25 to 34 holding college degrees.1  In 2009, President Obama announced a goal to regain the world lead by increasing American degree attainment to 60 percent by 2020. This will require progress on several, seemingly incompatible priorities: increasing access to college, helping more students graduate, and improving the quality of the student learning experience, all in a context of scarce public resources.