Flipping the Script: Searching for Opportunity When a Child Has a Disability
Families of children with disabilities are often at the center of debates about education choice, but their voices are rarely heard directly. In a new exploratory report, CRPE researchers share stories from 28 families in Arizona and Florida using education savings accounts (ESAs) to educate their children with disabilities. Their experiences complicate the dominant narratives: […]
Reflections on Rebuilding New Orleans’ Education System, One School at a Time
This was originally published in The 74. Twenty years ago tomorrow, Hurricane Katrina destroyed much of New Orleans, including its schools. Students and teachers fled the city — nobody knew how many would return, or where they would live. The post-Katrina reinvigoration of public education in New Orleans is one of the great stories of that city’s recovery. […]
Beyond the Headlines: What Civics Education Looks Like Right Now
As the United States prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday in 2026, debates over democracy, rights, and free speech dominate headlines. At the same time, school districts face growing pressure to decide what kinds of civic learning opportunities to offer. Do districts consider a foundational understanding of the U.S. government and its functions enough for […]
What Counts as Civics? A Look at How Districts Define and Facilitate Civic Learning
A new report from the American School District Panel, a research partnership between RAND and CRPE, examines how districts define and facilitate civic learning in an era of political polarization, competing instructional priorities, and uneven state support. Drawing on survey data from 170 public school districts and in-depth interviews with leaders from 18 systems, the study […]
It’s Time for the Left To Come to the School Choice Table
Our Phoenix Rising series aims to elevate diverse perspectives and enable informed debate on urgent topics. For too long, the political Left has allowed the debate over school choice to be defined and dominated by conservatives. In doing so, we’ve neglected the most dynamic lever for equity and innovation in American education while alienating the […]
Pension Costs Are Draining School Budgets. Here’s What States Can Do
Student enrollment is falling at public schools across the country, impacting funding streams and threatening financial solvency, as schools continue to be on the hook for considerable fixed costs like loans or debts. Having to pay out teacher pensions (mostly using current revenue to pay retired teachers) is contributing to this growing problem. But even […]
AI Early Adopter Districts: The Promises and Challenges of Using AI to Transform Education
Artificial intelligence is already reshaping how school districts plan instruction, support teachers, and engage students. AI has the potential to transform the education delivery model and address learning gaps—but without more support, guidance, and resources, it could have the opposite effect. This study examines how 27 “Early Adopter” school districts approached systemic AI adoption during the […]
What California Teachers Are Trying, Building, and Learning with AI
How are educators engaging with AI to support teaching and learning? In partnership with the Silicon Schools Fund, CRPE studied 18 California schools that piloted AI tools to address core instructional challenges, including learning gaps, low engagement, time constraints, and behavioral issues. Over 80 teachers and administrators participated in more than 30 pilots using both […]
CRPE and the Walton Family Foundation Support $2.6M in Grants to Study Pandemic Recovery
TEMPE, AZ — Over the past four years, CRPE’s Evidence Project has tracked the pandemic’s impact on students and school system recovery efforts. These collective efforts are far from complete—and face persistent challenges. In August 2024, with generous support from the Walton Family Foundation, CRPE made a public call for proposals to help accelerate the […]
Managing Through the Noise: How Superintendents See Shifts in the Federal Role in Education
In May 2025, we spoke with about a dozen superintendents across the country—and others who work closely with them—about challenges stemming from recent national events, including a much smaller United States Department of Education (ED), likely changes in federal Title I funding and oversight, and the various executive orders aimed at shifting more responsibility to […]