If re-legislated, the DOE can become a powerful national asset for K–12 student performance.
Congress can rewrite the U.S. Department of Education to end decades of underperformance disclosed by National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results. Click this U.S. Department of Education link to see guidelines for Congress to consider.
Codify the DOE’s mission
The U.S. Department of Education must be accountable through hard-number results—directly tied to measurable K–12 student performance nationwide (with NAEP as only one of a suite of critical metrics).
For example—and as part of the dual focus of this explainer site—upon re-legislating the U.S. Department of Education, Congress could assign it responsibility for implementing and testing the free-access HSe4Metrics platform.
Alternatively, Congress could designate another federal agency—such as the U.S. Department of Labor or NASA—to serve as the funding sponsor for the HSe4Metrics platform.
As with any innovation, outcomes are not known until it is implemented and tested. The HSe4Metrics platform is a societal innovation for K–12 student performance. Outcomes will be verifiable through hard-number results, including metrics such as NAEP.
The nation’s K-12 teachers are not at fault. In fact, the U.S. public K-12 system, along with its teachers, is regarded by other top industrialized nations as the best in the world. The global community recognizes the system’s remarkable ability to prepare a diverse range of students for success in U.S. colleges and universities.
And no, COVID did not cause the NAEP assessments crisis. Before COVID (in late 2019), only ~37% of K–12 graduates could read at minimum NAEP proficiency, and only ~25% could do math. The post-COVID reality is worse—but even at the 50% figure sometimes cited by Big Media, the blow to the nation’s socioeconomics, GDP, quality of life, and human capital is staggering.
Today the rates are even lower—approximately 25% for reading and 24% for math (click the NAEP link).
A “forever” K–12 failure by the states.
Taken as a whole, NAEP results—often reported by major media—indicate that the states collectively forfeit roughly 50% of the nation’s K–12 students, with many leaving school below minimum NAEP proficiency in reading or math.
Although 50% is arguably catastrophic, the figure may be much worse—click the NAEP link.
Even states that perform well on NAEP may still fall short on other critical metrics, such as cap rate, potentially placing students at a lifelong disadvantage.
A “forever” K–12 failure by the U.S. Department of Education (DOE)—but the structural issue can easily be corrected.
A time for Congress.
Congress can unleash an extraordinary level of pent-up K–12 student performance across the United States simply by re-legislating the founding documents of the U.S. Department of Education. (Click the link.) Such a rewrite would position the DOE as an unparalleled national asset for advancing K–12 student performance.
The U.S. Department of Education (herein, the DOE), created nearly 17 years after President Kennedy’s assassination, did not carry forward Kennedy’s urgent call to improve nationwide K–12 student performance. Click the John F. Kennedy link for his vision.
Theoretically, any of the federal agencies—whether the DOE, the Department of Labor (DOL), one of the cabinet-level executive departments, or an independent agency such as the National Science Foundation—could serve as sponsor of the HSe4Metrics platform. However, aside from the DOE, none could make K–12 student performance its sole focus. Ironically, even the DOE does not currently do so—but it could if re-legislated by Congress.
If housed within another agency, K–12 student performance would necessarily be secondary to that agency’s primary mission, creating a risk of mission dilution in efforts to improve national student outcomes.
In sum, the sponsoring agency’s singular focus should be K–12 student performance.
K–12 student performance drives everything in the U.S., so consider the example of the national workforce.
A critical hard-number metric for the HSe4Metrics innovation is the nation’s skilled worker deficit.
Keep in mind that the untapped population required for massive workforce transformation already exists—the nation’s forfeited bottom 50% of students identified by NAEP assessments, along with those barely above minimum proficiency.
To reach that untapped population, consider a Congressional rewrite of the DOE’s founding legislation—with a preeminent focus on innovation. (Click this U.S. Department of Education link to see guidelines for Congress to consider.)
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon advocates the pursuit of societal innovation to solve the unsolvable—innovation that serves the public good, distinct from industry-focused efforts.
The HSe4Metrics platform—part of the dual focus (or mission set) of this explainer site—represents such an opportunity, with results verifiable through hard-number metrics.
Courage needed: In innovation, success is not guaranteed. The outcomes of innovation remain “unknowable” until tested through implementation.
For innovation, costs may appear frighteningly prohibitive—even though they may represent only a rounding error relative to potential GDP gains. One additional requirement for the HSe4Metrics innovation: access must be free; students and parents cannot be expected to fund the platform.
Arguably, every federal agency and top-tier corporation has an obligation to support societal innovation for K–12 student performance nationwide.
Help HSe4Metrics connect with a federal agency (click the link Federal Agencies) willing to conduct due diligence and evaluate sponsorship of the HSe4Metrics platform—or a member of Congress prepared to lead on strengthening K-12 student performance nationwide.
If this explainer site's outreach does not identify such an agency or congressional leader, a fundraising campaign may be launched—potentially supported by Google—to retain a professional presentation team to identify and approach appropriate federal leaders. That team would consist of experienced Washington-based policy consultants and government-relations professionals.
A significant share of U.S. K–12 graduates fall below proficiency in reading and mathematics, as reflected in national assessments such as NAEP. Many are viewed by advanced industries as insufficiently educated to be trained for skilled roles.
These outcomes developed without access to a tool like the HSe4Metrics platform—during both the early childhood years and throughout K–12.
The HSe4Metrics innovation is designed to address this gap. If validated through disciplined, large-scale testing, it has the potential to significantly expand the nation’s qualified, homegrown workforce—while better preparing students for success in higher education.
This approach stands in contrast to conventionally structured efforts such as the No Child Left Behind Act and the Every Student Succeeds Act, which did not produce sustained national gains in student performance.
The nation’s K-12 teachers are not at fault. In fact, the U.S. public K-12 system, along with its teachers, is regarded by other top industrialized nations as the best in the world. The global community recognizes the system’s remarkable ability to prepare a diverse range of students for success in U.S. colleges and universities.
And no, COVID did not cause the NAEP assessments crisis. Before COVID (in late 2019), only ~37% of K–12 graduates could read at minimum NAEP proficiency, and only ~25% could do math. The post-COVID reality is worse—but even at the 50% figure sometimes cited by Big Media, the blow to the nation’s socioeconomics, GDP, quality of life, and human capital is staggering.
Today the rates are even lower—approximately 25% for reading and 24% for math (click the NAEP link).
A “forever” K–12 failure by the states.
Taken as a whole, NAEP results—often reported by major media—indicate that the states collectively forfeit roughly 50% of the nation’s K–12 students, with many leaving school below minimum NAEP proficiency in reading or math.
Although 50% is arguably catastrophic, the figure may be much worse—click the NAEP link.
Even states that perform well on NAEP may still fall short on other critical metrics, such as cap rate, potentially placing students at a lifelong disadvantage.
A “forever” K–12 failure by the U.S. Department of Education (DOE)—but the structural issue can easily be corrected.
A time for Congress.
Congress can unleash an extraordinary level of pent-up K–12 student performance across the United States simply by re-legislating the founding documents of the U.S. Department of Education. (Click the link.) Such a rewrite would position the DOE as an unparalleled national asset for advancing K–12 student performance.
The U.S. Department of Education (herein, the DOE), created nearly 17 years after President Kennedy’s assassination, did not carry forward Kennedy’s urgent call to improve nationwide K–12 student performance. Click the John F. Kennedy link for his vision.
Theoretically, any of the federal agencies—whether the DOE, the Department of Labor (DOL), one of the cabinet-level executive departments, or an independent agency such as the National Science Foundation—could serve as sponsor of the HSe4Metrics platform. However, aside from the DOE, none could make K–12 student performance its sole focus. Ironically, even the DOE does not currently do so—but it could if re-legislated by Congress.
If housed within another agency, K–12 student performance would necessarily be secondary to that agency’s primary mission, creating a risk of mission dilution in efforts to improve national student outcomes.
In sum, the sponsoring agency’s singular focus should be K–12 student performance.
K–12 student performance drives everything in the U.S., so consider the example of the national workforce.
A critical hard-number metric for the HSe4Metrics innovation is the nation’s skilled worker deficit.
Keep in mind that the untapped population required for massive workforce transformation already exists—the nation’s forfeited bottom 50% of students identified by NAEP assessments, along with those barely above minimum proficiency.
To reach that untapped population, consider a Congressional rewrite of the DOE’s founding legislation—with a preeminent focus on innovation. (Click this U.S. Department of Education link to see guidelines for Congress to consider.)
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon advocates the pursuit of societal innovation to solve the unsolvable—innovation that serves the public good, distinct from industry-focused efforts.
The HSe4Metrics platform—part of the dual focus (or mission set) of this explainer site—represents such an opportunity, with results verifiable through hard-number metrics.
Courage needed: In innovation, success is not guaranteed. The outcomes of innovation remain “unknowable” until tested through implementation.
For innovation, costs may appear frighteningly prohibitive—even though they may represent only a rounding error relative to potential GDP gains. One additional requirement for the HSe4Metrics innovation: access must be free; students and parents cannot be expected to fund the platform.
Arguably, every federal agency and top-tier corporation has an obligation to support societal innovation for K–12 student performance nationwide.
Pro bono works fine. The HSe4Metrics platform has secured an additional form of pro bono support: a top-100 U.S. law firm is assisting with the conversion of HSe4Metrics from its current SCC status (held since April 2000) to a 501(c)(3) private foundation.
Until this conversion process is complete, HSe4Metrics intends to delay any public fundraising efforts aimed at retaining a lobbyist or professional presentation team.
No donations are being accepted, but there is something you can do right now to help identify a national sponsor for the HSe4Metrics platform.
If a sponsor is not secured through volunteer outreach or through HSe4Metrics’ direct engagement with major corporations and federal agencies, only then would a limited fundraising campaign be considered.
If that point is reached:
