This report calls for federal, state, and local policies that support the exploration and redesign of the nation's learning system, including the structure of the traditional school day and academic year. The report finds that access to high-quality educational opportunities is crucial to helping children succeed in an increasingly complex, global…

For the last four decades, students' scores on standardized tests have increasingly been regarded as the most meaningful evidence for evaluating U.S. schools. Most Americans, indeed, believe students' standardized test performances are the only legitimate indicator of a school's instructional effectiveness. Yet, although test-based evaluations of…

No longer limited to the classroom, educators move to close the gap between school and the real world. Transforming high schools has been likened to turning an ocean liner around: It involves slow progress seemingly measured in inches, rather than yards or miles. This report discusses how educators move to close to gap between school and the real…