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 […]
Breaking the “Egg-Crate” Model of Schooling
This article was originally published by ASCD. Team-teaching models provide a built-in support system for new educators, making the job less isolating. The teaching profession is increasingly comprised of new teachers. In the last three decades, both the number and proportion of new teachers have increased: There were approximately 300,000 first-year teachers in 2017–18 compared […]
Call for proposals: Research to help finish the work of pandemic recovery
Over the past four years, CRPE’s Evidence Project has tracked the pandemic’s impact on students and school systems’ recovery efforts. Earlier this year, we concluded that these collective efforts are far from complete—and face growing challenges. Academic achievement remains below pre-pandemic levels, with growth in the 2023-24 school year falling short in nearly all grade […]
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 […]
AI is coming to U.S. classrooms, but who will benefit?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is evolving at lightning speed, but will U.S. classrooms be able to evolve with it—and take advantage of its potential benefits? A new report by the American School District Panel (ASDP), a research partnership between the RAND Corporation and CRPE, gives an early look at how AI is influencing teaching and learning, […]
“I have expensive dreams.” Preparing students for college and career in the face of widening equity gaps
Expensive dreams Eraste Talla Ngoualadjo always planned on attending a four-year university in the United States. But when his family emigrated from Cameroon to Boston in 2022, they were astounded by the high cost of even the country’s public universities. “I didn’t know about the reality of affording college here,” Ngoualadjo says. “It’s just a […]
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 […]
