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 […]
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 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? […]
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 […]