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 […]
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 […]
Unfinished Business: What Must Come Next for Public Education, Five Years After Pandemic Shutdowns
The Current Crisis Five years after the pandemic disrupted education, public schools are still struggling to recover. Achievement gaps have widened, student performance is in decline, and many schools have reverted to an outdated, ineffective system that fails to meet today’s challenges. The pandemic exposed longstanding weaknesses in the education system—rigid structures, inequities, resistance to […]
In Search of Opportunity: Can Families Use Education Choice to Secure More of What They Want?
As education choice programs expand, the promise of securing better educational opportunities remains unevenly realized for many families. This report examines the challenges families face and offers practical solutions to help education choice programs deliver on their potential. The report reveals that while some families benefit from education choice, many—particularly those in rural areas, low-income communities, and […]
Promising progress, fragile foundations: A five-year analysis of school innovation, 2019-2024
Over the past five years, the Canopy Project has documented innovations in K-12 education, uncovering how schools are addressing systemic challenges and envisioning the future of learning. This report highlights the progress and persistence of these trailblazing schools and offers actionable recommendations for sustaining and spreading innovation. Read the Report Report Quick Guide Key Findings […]
AI is Evolving, but Teacher Prep is Lagging: A First Look at Teacher Preparation Program Responses to AI
AI has transformed the education landscape, but are teacher preparation programs keeping pace? In CRPE’s latest report, we surveyed leaders from schools of education to understand how their faculty and preservice teachers are engaging with AI, their views on its long-term impact, and how institutions are embedding AI into their curricula. Key Findings: Schools of education […]
State Secrets: How Transparent Are State School Report Cards About the Effects of COVID?
How easy would it be for a parent or advocate to compare student performance pre- and post-COVID? The short answer: in most states, it’s not easy at all. Our researchers graded all 50 states’ and Washington, DC’s school report card websites on an A-F scale, based on how easy it would be for a parent […]
Wicked Opportunities: Leveraging AI to Transform Education
While the United States leads the world in AI innovation, our schools lag in preparing teachers and students for the impact of this unprecedented technological shift. In April 2024, CRPE convened over 60 state and federal policymakers, edtech innovators, school system leaders, and advocates to discuss how AI can drive meaningful and positive change in […]
When challenges never let up: School district leaders steer through hazards in Baltimore and Chicago
In the face of financial, political, and capacity constraints, leaders within the Baltimore City Public School System and Chicago Public Schools are making progress toward closing post-pandemic gaps in student learning. They’ve had to choose among imperfect strategies and navigate significant, growing challenges. At times, this has meant taking risks, following strategies they might not […]
Early evidence of improved educator outcomes in Next Education Workforce models
Concerns about the teacher workforce are rising, with fewer teachers recommending the profession and decreasing interest among students. In response, school systems are redesigning teacher roles to make the job more appealing and sustainable. This brief examines early outcomes from the Next Education Workforce™ (NEW) team-based models in Mesa, Arizona, which shift from the traditional […]
