Jun. 27, 2008 - Homeschooling and Charter Schools Shine in New Report, A Nation Accountable: Twenty-five Years After a Nation At Risk

Twenty-five years ago, the U.S. Department of Education published A Nation At Risk. According to the report, "about 13 percent of 17-year-olds were functionally illiterate, SAT scores were dropping, and students needed an increased array of remedial courses in college."

Now a sequal, A Nation Accountable: Twenty-five Years After a Nation At Risk, includes both sobering revelations as well as positive statements regarding homeschooling and charter schools:
"Of 20 children born in 1983, six did not graduate from high school on time in 2001. Of the 14 who did, 10 started college that fall, but only five earned a bachelor’s degree by spring 2007...Newly implemented policy proposals include scholarship programs for low-income students, the growth of homeschooling, and the creation of charter schools—all of which increase parental choice in education. And we have seen some encouraging results. We know, from emerging research on schools in Illinois and Florida, that students who attend charter middle and high schools have been substantially more likely to graduate with a standard diploma and attend college than their counterparts in traditional public schools. We know that scholarships for low-income students are boosting the achievement of inner-city African-American children." http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/accountable/accountable.pdf

What do you think? Comments, please.