A “good life” after high school: How schools can help students prepare
Today’s students are struggling after they leave the K-12 system: fewer students are enrolling in college, and more of those who enroll are floundering and at risk of dropping out. Meanwhile, many who seek to enter the workforce must discover and select a career pathway on their own if their school focuses mostly on college […]
“So hard, but so rewarding:” How school system leaders are scaling up strategic school staffing models
Innovative staffing models are promising, but challenging to scale up. What does the work of leading strategic staffing involve, and what could make scaling up easier? This report digs deep into the many challenges system leaders face when scaling up innovative staffing solutions. These leaders are trying to address longstanding teacher shortages and retention challenges […]
Interconnected problems, interconnected strategies: Using “strategy braiding” to address teacher workforce challenges
This blog is part of a three-part series on school systems that have been implementing workforce innovations or strategic staffing solutions for several years. The teacher workforce faces a host of post-pandemic challenges, including exacerbated staffing shortages and high levels of burnout. However, one educational leader noted, “Everyone wants single-thread solutions within single verticals… You […]
Postsecondary enrollment during the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from Rhode Island
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted nearly every aspect of economic and social life, affecting who went to college and where. This paper asks: How did patterns of enrollment and persistence in college and university change during the pandemic? Which postsecondary sectors were the hardest hit by declining enrollment? Were changes in postsecondary enrollment consistent across student subgroups? […]
What lies ahead for teachers unions’ common good agendas
Union militancy is rising in education beyond traditional teacher pay issues to address a broader “common good” agenda, but it seems that this progressive movement is struggling to keep its coalition united. This new era began in 2018 when the Red For Ed movement sought dramatic pay increases in red states (Arizona, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and […]
New state AI policies released: Signs point to inconsistency and fragmentation
In October 2023, CRPE reported that only California and Oregon had provided schools with guidance on navigating AI, while 13 other states planned to release similar guidance. Since then, three additional states have weighed in: North Carolina, West Virginia, and Washington. Virginia’s governor also released an executive order for “AI integration throughout education” that directs its state […]
Teachers alone can’t address the literacy crisis
This commentary was originally published by EdSource. Improving literacy instruction is once again in fashion among America’s policy circles. Between 2019 and 2022, state legislatures passed more than 200 bills that sought to push and pull public schools to embrace the “science of reading.” But one year into closely following a big city school district’s effort to remake […]
A future beyond test scores alone: Innovative schools need support to measure other learning outcomes
Imagine a time traveler from 1924 arrives in 2024. She’s overwhelmed by how the world has changed, from ubiquitous smartphone use to widespread vaccine access. Then, she steps into a typical school, and she’s confused. While the kinds of jobs Americans work in are barely recognizable to her, classroom learning still feels much like it […]
Ten predictions about learning recovery, innovation in public education in 2024
This piece was originally published by The 74. The ever-quotable Yogi Berra said it well: “It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.” Nevertheless, we at the Center on Reinventing Public Education are jumping into the deep end with 10 predictions about the prospects for learning recovery and innovation in public education in 2024. […]
“We can’t blow it.” District leaders are optimistic about AI but urgently need help
AI is on the move, and it’s not slowing down. The education field is both excited and concerned about the lightning-fast pace of advancements in generative AI. Over the past several months, we at CRPE have interviewed dozens of district leaders across the country about how they view AI and what kind of support they […]
