Evaluating Large-Scale Studies to Accurately Appraise Children's Performance

Educational policy is often developed using a top-down approach. Recently, there has been a concerted shift in policy for educators to develop programs and research proposals that evolve from "scientific" studies and focus less on their intuition, aided by professional wisdom. This article analyzes several national and international educational studies that have recently been made available to the public. Recommendations for teachers, personnel preparation professionals, and policymakers are based upon selected aggregate and disaggregated data. Results challenge the negative public perception of U.S. education, question the current trend to spend more class and homework time on informational literacy, and advocate for a more balanced approach to early childhood preparation across the content areas.