The definition of inadequacy. Evidence of inefficiency.

This from Education Week:

States Cite Lack of Capacity to Meet NCLB

Nearly seven years after the No Child Left Behind Act became law, two-thirds of state education departments report that they don’t have adequate capacity to help low-performing schools, says a study released today by the American Institutes for Research.

The AIR study reinforces what earlier research and anecdotal evidence from chief state school officers have found: State departments are struggling to meet the technical requirements of the law and provide help to struggling schools in the face of shrinking budgets and staff limitations...

Most Nations Fall Short of NAEP Proficiency, Analysis Finds

Education Week reports:
Outside of a handful of Asian nations, the typical 8th grader in many foreign countries would not meet “proficient” levels on U.S. tests of mathematics and science, according to a reanalysis of international achievement data being published today. Then again, the study also shows, neither do most American students.

The American Institutes for Research, a Washington-based research organization, posted a press release and the new analysis comes from AIR’s chief scientist, Gary W. Phillips.

Mr. Phillips’ idea was to statistically “link” scores from two well-known testing programs: the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, or TIMSS, which is given every few years to students in more than three dozen countries, and the National Assessment of Educational Progress, a congressionally mandated program known as the “nation’s report card.”