The Friction of Scale: Lessons from Scaling Up Innovation in Three School Districts
What does it really take to scale systemwide innovation? This report examines whether and how districts can achieve deep change by scaling a single, districtwide “Bold Idea.” In the first phase of our Innovative School Systems Grant project, CRPE followed 11 districts that were piloting innovations designed to dramatically improve students’ learning experiences. In this […]
Phoenix Rising: Bold Ideas for States to Transform Public Education
This synthesis of the Phoenix Rising series presents a provocative yet pragmatic set of ideas to unlock large-scale renewal and principled innovation within public education.
From Vision to Practice: How District Leaders Would Improve Civic Learning
As the 2026 midterms approach, the public and policymakers are asking whether schools are truly preparing students to participate in civic life. This third brief in our series from the American School District Panel (ASDP), a research partnership between RAND and CRPE, draws on Spring 2026 survey data and interviews with 28 district leaders to […]
From Support to Priority: How Formal Structures Can Help Districts Protect Time for Civics Learning
Civic learning is having a moment. But what actually makes it stick as a priority in schools? New national survey data from the American School District Panel (ASDP)—a research partnership between CRPE and RAND—find signs of growing momentum: 20% of district leaders said their district had increased its prioritization of civic learning over the past […]
The Politics of Budgets: How Fourteen Districts Reduced Spending While Protecting Student Learning Experiences
Fiscal crises are no longer the exception for school districts; they’re the new normal. This report examines how 14 districts and charter networks cut costs while protecting student learning experiences. The report draws on case studies commissioned with colleagues from Afton Partners, Education Resource Strategies, and New Solutions K12, and is accompanied by four in-depth […]
The Missing Piece in Math Reform: Identifying and Supporting Students with Dyscalculia
Dyscalculia is a neurological learning disability that makes numbers and math difficult—it’s the math equivalent of dyslexia and affects a similar share of students (3-8% of school-age children). But while dyslexia has decades of legislative mandates, screening requirements, specialist roles, and teacher preparation behind it, dyscalculia has almost none of that infrastructure. This brief explores […]
Charting New Paths: What AI-Enabled Transformation Looks Like in Four Early Adopter Districts
Most school districts are using AI cautiously, usually to save teachers and administrators time. But a small group of districts is doing something different: using it to rebuild how school works. CRPE’s early 2026 study of AI Early Adopters sorted districts into five categories, from Dabblers to Reimaginers. This brief follows up with four districts […]
Does Team-Based Teaching Improve Student Learning? Early Evidence from Arizona
The traditional American classroom has looked the same for a century: one teacher, one room, one roster. Critics have long argued that this model leaves teachers isolated, overburdened, and with limited opportunities for specialization, collaboration, or career growth. In response, school systems across the country are experimenting with new ways to organize teachers via strategic […]
A Strategic Research Agenda for AI-Driven Transformation in Public Education
A new white paper from the Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE) names our current reality: no shared measures of success, governance not keeping pace with the technology, and a market increasingly shaped by the priorities of ed-tech vendors. Generative AI carries real risk—”wicked problems” like data and identity theft, cognitive offloading, and threats to students’ […]
The Transformation Gap: Why Motivated District Leaders Pursue Incremental Change
School districts are struggling to create both equitable and fundamentally different outcomes for young people through incremental improvements. The alternative is transformational systems change, when school districts redefine their purpose and operations through a coherent strategy to ensure every school is a high-quality, empowering place for all students to thrive—but this remains rare. With support […]