Educators are all too familiar with the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP. It's known as the nation's report card– and as a country, our grades are dropping.

According to NAEP's long-term trend report, students' reading and math scores have declined for the last decade. States have been evaluating and adjusting their policies, curriculum and school schedules in response. On this episode of the Educator's Playbook podcast, host Kimberly McGlonn delves into the complexities and nuances of those changes, and the role teaching standards and innovative policies play in shaping the future. What's working, what isn't – and why?

Our first guest on this deep dive is Patrick Sexton, head of teacher ed programs at Penn GSE. He talks about how crucial an effective rollout of new standards is for long-term success. Even the most well-intentioned standards will fall short without adequate training for educators. Then we're joined by Mississippi's state literacy director, Kristen Wynn, who shares what they've been doing to radically transform the state's approach over the last decade. She provides valuable insight into what it took to help their students gain proficiency against various factors.

GUESTS:

Patrick Sexton, Executive Director of Teacher Education Programs, University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education
Kristen Wynn, State Literacy Director (K-12), Mississippi Department of Education

NEWSLETTER:

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ADDITIONAL ARTICLES & RESOURCES:

Improving Reading & Math Proficiency: the Mississippi Miracle and Redefining State Standards