How should school success be measured?

Good morning, New Hampshire, and welcome to Tuesday. Today, Ethan DeWitt reports on the push to reevaluate the way a school’s success is measured. In the Tuesday commentary, Paul Doscher examines the gap between recent energy policy in New Hampshire and the on-the-ground realities. And, from Stateline’s Alex Brown, why some are concerned about the growing responsibility on states to protect the places where endangered species live. Thank you for reading, and for supporting our work. — Dana

By Ethan DeWitt

As New Hampshire public schools grapple with funding challenges, declining enrollments, and increasing fiscal scrutiny from voters, some metrics suggest that the schools continue to perform well nationally. But measuring a school’s success is a complicated task, where diverse metrics can tell competing stories. And this summer, a task force of school leaders is recommending that the state reevaluate that process. In a 61-page report released in June, the State Accountability System Task Force issued sweeping suggestions to overhaul how schools are assessed by the state, by building in new datapoints such as science testing scores and five-year graduation rates and providing more support to struggling districts through state funds and school-to-school “peer reviews." The goal, administrators say, is to move away from a system that incentivizes checking boxes and toward one that inspires improvements and collaboration.

By Paul Doscher

“Not that many years ago, our politicians used to argue that we should prioritize the power sources that are most cost competitive. They said we shouldn’t ‘pick winners and losers’ with subsidies and incentive programs. Aren’t we doing just that by creating special treatment and massive government subsidies for nuclear power while eliminating those incentives for renewables?”

By Alex Brown, Stateline

The Trump administration is removing protections from the key places where endangered species live, saying states can keep the areas safe. But experts say states aren’t equipped for the task.