Table Of ContentThe SAGE Encyclopedia of World
Poverty
Alliance for Excellent Education
Contributors: Amitabh Vikram Dwivedi
Edited by: Mehmet Odekon
Book Title: The SAGE Encyclopedia of World Poverty
Chapter Title: "Alliance for Excellent Education"
Pub. Date: 2015
Access Date: May 6, 2017
Publishing Company: SAGE Publications, Inc
City: Thousand Oaks
Print ISBN: 9781483345703
Online ISBN: 9781483345727
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781483345727.n23
Print pages: 44-45
©2015 SAGE Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
This PDF has been generated from SAGE Knowledge. Please note that the pagination of
the online version will vary from the pagination of the print book.
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The Alliance for Excellent Education (AEE), a national policy, research, and advocacy
organization, is dedicated to traditionally underserved students in high schools. It is a
Washington, D.C.–based organization that seeks to ensure the success of American
graduates in citizenship, work, and college. The AEE works to make a policy agenda—a
national consensus network of allies for education—to reform higher education. It targets at-
risk high school students, who are likely to quit school without a graduate degree or diploma
and who may not be able to contribute productively in future. The AEE advocates policies to
ensure that resources are targeted toward helping at-risk students and raises funds at the
federal level for at-risk students. Presently, the AEE is helping out around 6 million American
students, and the focus is on the lowest achievement quartile.
Gerard and Lilo Leeds, two retired media persons from CMP Media, founded the technology
publishing company in 1971. In 1988, they passed over the management of the company to
their sons and started participating actively in philanthropy. In 1990, they launched the
Institute for Student Achievement for helping at-risk secondary school students and later
founded the AEE in 1999. Since then, the AEE has encouraged secondary school reform and
supported student attainment and achievement. It helps encourage the implementation and
development of national and federal policies.
The AEE’s Issues
Accountability
Accountability systems focus on school performance and ensure that no child is left behind
under the No Child Left Behind Act. They directly hold every school accountable for
developing proficiency in mathematics and reading in students by 2014. The overall goal is to
raise the secondary school graduation rates. The systems direct resources for needful
students and create incentives for further improvement.
Achievement Gap
The minorities, including various racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups, fail to get quality
education due to a number of reasons, such as low expectations in schools, discriminatory
economic policies and practices, lack of intellectual stimulation and reading, and societal
influences. This has resulted in an education achievement gap. The AEE serves the
underserved student groups and advocates curbing economic and civic disparities.
Adolescent Literacy
Many secondary students quit high school without getting writing and reading skills. The
National Assessment of Educational Progress reported that more than 60 percent of 12th-
grade students were lacking the required proficiency in reading and 77 percent were below
the basic level in reading in 1999. The AEE seeks to ensure that all high school graduates are
proficient in reading and able to achieve success in the present world.
Assessments
Assessments ensure that the set standards are met. The Smarter Balanced Assessment
Consortium and Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers are
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developing new measures to assess students’ performance against the Common Core State
Standards. The measures include interim assessments and formative tools for instructors to
make assessments to inform parents and students during the course.
Career and Technical Education
The present-day education system provides a fine balance between achieving college and
career readiness for every secondary student. It provides students opportunities to experience
the workplace environment while engaging in a career and pursue technical education.
College and Career Relations
The U.S. education system has drastically changed. A diploma cannot provide a well-paying
job; all students need at least a postsecondary education. The AEE seeks to ensure that all
students get quality education that provides them with good communication skills and the
capacity for critical thinking and teamwork, which are needed to meet the demands of the
present job market.
Deeper Learning
The AEE aims at providing deeper learning to students. It helps them develop competencies
for a good career. It prepares students to solve complex problems, master core academic
content, work collaboratively, and communicate effectively.
Economic Impacts
The dropouts are more likely to spend their lives periodically as unemployed, living on
government assistance, or circulating in and out of the prison system. The local, state, and
national economies benefit when students become graduates. The students themselves can
secure a good job and earn more to enjoy a comfortable lifestyle. The AEE focuses on
reducing the dropout rate.
Federal Legislation
The AEE provides more research and innovation practices that effectively shed light on
approaches to improve high school education. Its federal policy recommendations help in
strengthening federal education policy for the lowest-performing students in the United
States. It focuses on reforms and resources that ensure graduate education to every child.
No Child Left Behind/Elementary and Secondary Education Act
No Child Left Behind initiatives to curb achievement gaps result in improving schools’
performance, setting standards for student proficiency outcomes and holding schools
accountable for meeting these standards. However, the AEE advocates that Congress should
periodically review the strengths and weaknesses of the draft legislations to address the
needs of neglected high school students.
Project 24
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The AEE has developed Project 24, a plan for progress, for all students. It is a systematic
planning framework for the effective use of digital learning and technology to achieve the goal
of college and career readiness. It provides planning tools, creative ideas, expert advice, and
tangible suggestions free of cost from nonprofit education organizations and education
experts. It focuses on community partnerships; budget and resources; curriculum, instruction,
and assessment; data and privacy; technology and hardware; professional learning; and use
of time.
Teachers and Leaders
The AEE works with the Common Core State Standards to transform the instructional core
and to prepare better leaders for the future. It makes secondary education deeply engaging
and personalized while focusing on complex skills and high-level content.
Amitabh Vikram Dwivedi
Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University
See Also:Absenteeism and Child Poverty; Achievement Gap; American Graduate; Children
Out of School; Dropout Rates; Education, Secondary; Education, Tertiary Education and
Opportunity; Education and Training, Technical and Vocational Education Equity; Education
Premium; Literacy and Illiteracy Rates; Student Attrition Rate; Technical and Vocational
Education and Training.
Further Readings
Alliance for Excellent Education. http://all4ed.org/ (Accessed August 2014).
Amitabh Vikram Dwivedi Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University
http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781483345727.n23
10.4135/9781483345727.n23
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