Recent research shows that large gaps exist, even before
children enter kindergarten, in their school readiness. To
address these differences, some advocate full-day kindergarten.
However, findings suggest that such programs may not enhance
achievement in the long term. The vast majority of the 200,000
Louisiana students displaced from their public schools by
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita missed weeks or more of school, and
most did not return to their original schools by the end of the
2005-06 school year. As a result, many may experience long-term
academic problems. Data-driven decision making, applied to
student achievement testing data, is a central focus of many
school and district reform efforts. Yet many unanswered
questions remain about the use of data to inform decisions and
the effects on student achievement. A three-year study finds
that students who had been exposed to more reform-oriented
teaching performed slightly better in both math and science than
those who had experienced less. Evidence also