Three Ways State Education Agencies Can Proactively Drive Change
The biggest mistake most state education agencies (SEAs) make is not a matter of policy but of mindset: Too many assume their primary function is to monitor compliance with state and federal laws rather than be agents of change that materially impact the lives of students. Given that state agencies were born of the necessity […]
What’s holding school districts back from bolder, transformative change?
Five years after the pandemic, learning gains and engagement remain at historic lows—and marginalized students continue to bear the worst consequences. Many districts have focused on safer, incremental improvements that accommodate the status quo but haven’t made the leaps in progress that students need. School districts need transformation: a complete reimagining of how public schools […]
America Can’t be Great Without Good Schools: How Policymakers Can Create More of Them
A policy agenda for K-12 schools 1. Take a reasonable middle ground in the culture wars 2. Invest in systems that keep students safe 3. Help schools provide the academic preparation students need 4. Use accountability systems to benchmark results and protect against educational neglect Reality check: Education reform can only succeed with teacher support […]
Picking Up the Pieces of Federal Education Programs: Can Block Grants Help Marginalized Learners?
The Trump administration is following the Project 2025 agenda, vowing to turn federal education programs into block grants or issue blanket waivers that would let states see money in any way they want. The results might not be what the Trump movement hopes, or what educators fear. Much will depend on whether local actors who […]
What AI Can Teach Us about Learning and Development
As I continue to wrestle with the implications of artificial intelligence, one particular question intrigues me: What if engineers working on generative AI are more attuned to the learning process than most educators are? Think about it. For engineers, getting and using feedback is central to their process. Make a prediction. Run the model. Get […]
New Research Finds Schools of Education Fail to Prepare Teachers to Use AI
This article originally appeared in The 74. The rapid rise of generative artificial intelligence is exposing a glaring disconnect in teacher preparation. While forward-thinking superintendents are rolling up their sleeves to build AI literacy among teachers, college programs tasked with preparing the next generation of educators are largely absent from the conversation. This isn’t just a missed opportunity; […]
Mend, Don’t End, the Institution for Education Sciences
This piece originally appeared in The 74. Last week, DOGE’s “shock and awe” campaign came to education. The chaotic canceling of grants and contracts for various research activities at the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), a little-known yet important agency rarely at the center of public debate, was unprecedented. It showed that the Trump administration is becoming adept […]
Launching districtwide innovation: Lessons learned from a year of pursuing “Bold Ideas” for systemic change
What does it really take to pilot bold, systemwide innovation in public education? Over the 2023–24 school year, CRPE partnered with 11 districts across the country to support and study their “Bold Ideas”—ambitious initiatives designed to make student learning more joyful, individualized, and relevant. These pilots weren’t just tech upgrades or isolated experiments. They were […]
Calming the Noise: How AI Literacy Efforts Foster Responsible Adoption for Educators
In the two years since ChatGPT’s release, generative AI (genAI) tools have flooded the K-12 education space. Each day, educators and administrators hear new claims about AI’s power to transform learning, while also facing warnings about its dangers. Caught between the hype and the fear, they struggle to distinguish real opportunities from noise. This uncertainty […]
Running fast but not getting far: Five years of studying the pandemic’s impact on education
This report distills five years of research to understand how the pandemic reshaped public education. Drawing from over 100 reports and articles, we examine the crisis response, recovery efforts, and ongoing challenges facing schools today. Key Findings Crisis Response: Schools struggled to maintain instruction with little federal or state guidance, facing political conflicts, mental health […]
