BOULDER, CO (July 18, 2024)—A recent Thomas B. Fordham Institute report describes current policies and practices at the district level across the U.S. that are designed to provide what the report calls advanced and gifted education. A review of the report determines, however, that its conclusions and policy suggestions lack validity.      

In her review of The Broken Pipeline: Advanced Education Policies at the Local Level, Eunice S. Han of the University of Utah finds murky terminology, a lack of evidence-based indicators, and issues with the data sources and analyses.

The report’s stated goal is to provide a better understanding of district policies to improve the provision of advanced education programs by examining the breadth of district policies for such programs. It is based on data from a survey conducted in 2023, and it addresses issues including identification, program types, curriculum, teacher support, and predictors for policy implementation. The report constructs an “advanced education index” that gauges the prevalence of advanced education programs and the comprehensiveness of district policies. Then, based on this index, it concludes that U.S. district policies for advanced learners are subpar.

Professor Han discusses the research and methodological challenges that restrict the report and make its conclusions unreliable. Given its data limitations and problems, such as nonrepresentative samples and the absence of other important variables, with the key assumptions in the report’s methodology, the report’s associated policy suggestions are overstated.

Find the review, by Eunice S. Han, at:
https://nepc.colorado.edu/review/broken-pipeline

Find The Broken Pipeline: Advanced Education Policies at the Local Level, written by Adam Tyner and published by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, at: https://fordhaminstitute.org/national/research/broken-pipeline-advanced-education-policies-local-level