DALLAS, TEXAS – Partisan debates over our culture – like book bans – have taken attention away from America’s real education challenge: improving student achievement. The Winter 2022 issue of The Catalyst: A Journal of Ideas From the Bush Institute, tackles why school leaders should rise above the noise and refocus the conversation on student outcomes.
“The Real Education Debate: Kids Need Substance (Not a Culture War)” explores what schools – rural and urban – can do to help students lead successful adult lives. Hear different perspectives on how we can address declining test scores, teacher retention, and school leadership:
- Anne Wicks, the Ann Kimball Johnson Director of Education and Opportunity at the Bush Institute, presents a frank assessment about America’s academic challenge. Learn how alarming declines in reading and math scores threaten opportunity for all Americans.
- Eva Chiang, Managing Director of Leadership and Programming at the Bush Institute, reports on her findings in keeping teachers and school leaders in the classroom. Discover what a teacher survey unearths.
- Malika Anderson, Chief Program Officer at Instruction Partners, explains why teachers must better engage students in the classroom. The former superintendent of Tennessee Achievement School District reveals lessons learned in the classroom.
- Kymyona Burk, Senior Policy Fellow at ExcelinEd, reports on spreading quality reading instruction around the country. Read how a Mississippi education leader helped reform reading education.
- Kate Walsh, former President of the National Council on Teacher Quality, recalls what she learned in 20 years of working to improve teacher preparation. Read an expert’s view on getting teachers ready.
- A Catalyst video presents on-the-ground views of parents, students, and educators. Watch their conversations about launching students into lives with opportunity and choices.
- Elisabeth Luevanos, Superintendent of Milano ISD in Texas, explains what rural students need. A Presidential Leadership Scholar reports on leading a small-town district.
- Holly Kuzmich, Senior Advisor at the Bush Institute, urges schools to respond to declining test scores with research-based strategies. A former U.S. Department of Education official discusses what works in educating students.
- Mike Miles, Founder of the Third Future Schools, outlines how to design schools to prepare students for the future. Read the former Dallas ISD superintendent’s strategies for revolutionizing campuses.
- Pete Geren, President of the Sid Richardson Foundation, details how Fort Worth community leaders are attempting to tackle school improvement. Learn why school progress is a mission for an entire city.
- Crystal Cazier, Senior Program Manager of Global Health at the Bush Institute, weighs in on the cost of college. Parents face a choice: Will the investment be worth it for their children?
- Cullum Clark, Director of the Bush Institute-SMU Economic Growth Initiative, analyzes how college education impacts young lives. Find out what the data says about student mobility.
For more information about The Catalyst, visit https://www.bushcenter.org/catalyst.
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About the George W. Bush Institute
The George W. Bush Institute is a solution-oriented nonpartisan policy organization focused on ensuring opportunity for all, strengthening democracy, and advancing free societies. Housed within the George W. Bush Presidential Center, the Bush Institute is rooted in compassionate conservative values and committed to creating positive, meaningful, and lasting change at home and abroad. We utilize our unique platform and convening power to advance solutions to national and global issues of the day. Learn more at www.bushcenter.org.