A former Bushwick High School teacher reflects on the challenges of urban education and the gap between staff ideas and proven solutions. The Upshot consulted 37 leading academics to rank strategies for reversing declining student achievement. Compared to 2015, reading scores have dropped in 83 percent of districts, with math scores declining nearly as widely.

Three ideas emerged as particularly impactful. Small-group tutoring ranked as the most promising intervention, with students meeting multiple times weekly in groups of three or four during the school day. Expanded access to advanced classes, such as eighth-grade algebra and high school AP courses, ranked seventh, though experts warn pushing unprepared students into advanced material can backfire.

Increasing teacher pay ranked twentieth, framed as a simple business decision to compensate educators comparable to other professions requiring similar education and experience to retain talent and build knowledge. The former teacher urges readers to examine the full data-driven rankings to understand which reforms have the strongest return on investment for student success.