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After decades of addressing teacher shortages through for-profit alternative certification and uncertified hires, Texas has shifted toward comprehensive, interconnected investments in teacher recruitment, preparation, certification, mentoring, and compensation, culminating in landmark 2025 legislation. The arc of Texas’ teacher workforce policy offers lessons to states facing teacher shortages.
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California’s investment in teacher residencies is yielding measurable benefits for students, teachers, and districts, with students of residency-prepared teachers in grades 4–8 showing gains in math and elementary students showing gains in English language arts. Residencies offer a comprehensive teacher preparation model and a path to achievement growth for students.
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We now know more than at any point in history about how children learn and what schools look like when they work for every child. The question is whether we're willing to build that system—at scale, for every child, in every community.
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Between 2009 and 2019, California made major changes to key educational investments for preschool and elementary school students that led to equity-enhancing gains in math and reading achievement, with benefits increasing across the early years. This brief examines the impacts of the CSPP, TK, and LCFF policies and programs.
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The School of Business and Tourism is a Los Angeles high school redesigned as a community school using Linked Learning pathways, project-based learning, updated site roles, and a self-regulation space. Despite serving a higher-need population, the school outperformed the district on state assessments, offering a model for secondary school redesign.
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New federal regulations provide the clearest picture yet of how the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit Program will operate beginning in 2027. This blog examines states’ limited authority over the program, its transparency and accountability requirements, and what the new funding structure could mean for public education and underserved students.
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Before California simplified its rules, English learners had to pass a locally set "basic skills" test to reclassify as English-proficient—on top of meeting language proficiency benchmarks. A review of 76 districts found that these local rules varied widely, held back rural and middle-grade students, and had no clear effect on achievement.
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Arkansas is requiring all educator preparation programs (EPPs) to prepare candidates through a teacher residency by Spring 2027, prompting large-scale program redesign across the state. Case studies of two EPPs that undertook early residency redesign illuminate effective practices and challenges encountered, and the findings offer actionable lessons for high-quality residency implementation.
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Research confirms that principal turnover negatively impacts student achievement and teacher retention. A California-focused analysis of statewide data examines trends in principal preparation, experience, and distribution, identifying key school, district, and principal characteristics associated with turnover across the state.
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The United States persistently falls behind other countries in math achievement, and students are increasingly disengaged. As states adopt new instructional materials, supporting teachers in cultivating classroom environments is essential. This brief examines case studies of 10 middle school math teachers and the school- and district-level factors that enabled or impeded efforts.
