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A 74 opinion essay argues that families and districts need more candid information about students’ academic progress and whether education programs improve learning. It points to outcomes-based contracting and a South Bend literacy agreement as examples, while citing research that found potential benefits under the right conditions.
The 74 published an opinion essay arguing that improving reading achievement requires schools to be more candid with families about student progress and to judge education programs by learning results. The piece points to outcomes-based contracting as one way districts could link provider payments to student outcomes, rather than mainly to the delivery of services.
The essay contrasts a Gallup poll finding that about 88% of parents believe their child is performing at or above grade level in reading and math with the National Assessment of Educational Progress finding that 31% of fourth graders are proficient readers. The figures refer to different measures: parents’ perceptions across reading and math, and a national assessment of fourth-grade reading proficiency. The essay uses that contrast to describe an “honesty gap” between what families are told about progress and what academic results show.
The authors also question whether districts can tell if education purchases improve learning. The essay says contracted educational services account for about 11% of school expenditures, or roughly $100 billion annually, and argues that spending is easier to track than the results of those investments. It proposes that districts and providers agree in advance on goals, measurement methods and responses if students do not make expected gains.
As an example, the essay cites a recent literacy contract in South Bend, Indiana, which it says sets expectations for implementation and ties part of the provider’s payment to measurable student results. The essay also summarizes a WestEd evaluation as finding that outcomes-based contracts can strengthen collaboration and shared accountability and, under the right conditions, contribute to improved student outcomes. It says participating districts did not spend more than they would have under traditional contracts, while often receiving greater implementation support.
Why Contract Results Matter
The essay’s argument connects two issues: whether families receive an accurate picture of children’s skills and whether public education spending produces measurable learning gains. If parents do not know a student is behind, they may have less opportunity to seek support. If districts cannot determine whether a purchased program is working, they may have difficulty deciding whether to continue, change or end it.
Outcomes-based contracts could give districts and providers a shared framework for defining and reviewing progress. But the essay presents this as a proposed approach, not proof that contracts alone will close literacy gaps. Its broader point is that reporting on implementation—such as whether a program was delivered—does not answer whether students learned more.
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From Spending to Student Learning
The opinion piece places its argument against a backdrop of academic results it describes as still below pre-pandemic levels. It says national reading and math proficiency rates have not returned to where they stood a few years earlier, though it does not give specific year-by-year figures in the supplied text.
Traditional education contracts, the authors say, commonly pay providers when agreements are signed, regardless of whether their products improve academic outcomes. Under the model they advocate, districts and providers would define goals and measures at the outset and tie a meaningful portion of payment to results. The essay cautions through its summary of WestEd’s findings that the model’s benefits depend on the conditions in which it is implemented.
““We have an honesty gap in American education.””
— The 74 opinion essay
What the Evidence Does Not Establish
The supplied material does not identify the Gallup poll’s date, sample details or exact question wording, nor does it specify the NAEP assessment year behind the fourth-grade reading figure. The figures therefore provide a broad contrast but do not establish why parents’ perceptions differ from assessment results or how the gap varies across communities.
The essay does not name the provider, contract value, payment share tied to outcomes or performance measures in South Bend. It also does not provide detailed methods or effect sizes for the WestEd evaluation. The source summarizes the evaluation’s conclusions but does not establish that outcomes-based contracting will improve results in every district or that it will, by itself, close literacy gaps.
How Districts Measure Progress
The essay calls on districts to make student learning, rather than program activity alone, the measure of success in literacy and numeracy. For the South Bend agreement and other contracts, the relevant next evidence would include which measures are used, how results are reviewed and whether students meet the goals set by the district and provider.
No further milestones or reporting dates are given in the source material. Whether the approach leads to improved reading outcomes will depend on implementation and on results being measured and shared clearly with families and communities.
Key Questions
What does the essay mean by an “honesty gap”?
It describes a difference between what families are told or believe about student progress and what academic assessments show. The essay argues that families need clear information about whether students are meeting grade-level expectations.
What is outcomes-based contracting?
It is a contract model in which a district and provider set goals and decide how progress will be measured. Under the approach described in the essay, part of the provider’s payment is tied to student results.
What evidence does the essay cite for the approach?
The essay summarizes a WestEd evaluation that found stronger collaboration and shared accountability and said the approach contributed to improved student outcomes under the right conditions. It does not provide detailed methods or effect sizes in the supplied text.
What is known about the South Bend literacy contract?
The essay says the South Bend, Indiana, district recently signed a literacy contract setting implementation expectations and tying part of payment to measurable student results. It does not provide the provider’s name, contract value or specific measures.
Source: the74million.org
