Data and Assessments in K-12 Education

Business leaders rely on objective data. Good or bad, they need it to understand how they are doing—the sustainability of their businesses, the health of their workforce, and the strength of their talent pipeline. The same is true for our K–12 students. Can they read? Write? Do math?

Understanding whether students are meeting state-defined grade-level academic standards is essential. Declining achievement—unfortunately all too common right now—affects students’ ability to build in-demand skills and succeed in the workforce. In turn, this threatens the economic vitality of our communities and the prosperity of our neighbors.

We launched this series of briefs on assessment and accountability, exploring why these issues matter for student success, the future workforce, community competitiveness, and the overall health of our talent pipeline.

More than two decades ago, the United States enacted its first large-scale federal education law focused on system- and school-level accountability for student outcomes. Since then, assessment and accountability policies have continued to evolve—shaping how student performance is measured, reported, and acted upon across the country. What have these changes delivered for students, families, and schools, and what lessons do they offer for the future?

In 2023, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation commissioned research examining these questions, which was published in "Looking Back to Look Forward: Quantitative and Qualitative Reviews of the Past 20 Years of K-12 Education Assessment and Accountability Policy".

In this timely 2026 re-release, researchers Dr. Dan Goldhaber and Dr. Michael DeArmond revisit their findings, reflecting on how assessment and accountability policies have contributed to improving both the quality of and access to K–12 public education. They also surface forward-looking insights to help inform the next phase of federal education policy as the landscape continues to evolve.

Read the Updated Edition

From 2021 to 2023, the U.S. Chamber Foundation partnered with a working group of national experts on a multi-year initiative exploring the effectiveness of data and assessments in America’s K-12 public schools. 

Although the pandemic provided a natural inflection point to re-assess our education system, the challenges students face are not new. Before the onset of COVID-19, for example, only 38% of third graders were reading at grade level. Achievement gaps were closing, but they started expanding significantly due to pandemic school closures and the digital divide. Schools, teachers, and parents in particular had a chance to see the shortcomings of our education system up close, as many children learned via Zoom over those two years. To build a stronger future for American students and prepare them for the economy and society of tomorrow, we asked a group of experts to come together and provide visionary leadership for what the future of data in education should look like. 

Future of Data Working Group 

This project was driven by Future of Data Working Group who convened to oversee and provide feedback on our efforts. 

Future of Data Design Challenge 

Guided by insights from the working group, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation launched the Future of Data Design Challenge to surface innovative ideas from leading experts on how data can be used to strengthen school improvement and accountability.

Proposals were reviewed by the Foundation in partnership with the working group and evaluated against a shared set of guiding principles, including ambition and feasibility, coherence, thoroughness, creativity, and equity.

Click here to read the winning proposals.