LPI Blog

July 28, 2023 | Teacher working conditions and student access to qualified and diverse teachers vary greatly by state. Bringing together data from every state, the authors describe their findings on the state of the teacher workforce and the implications for addressing teacher shortages.

July 6, 2023 | In the aftermath of the pandemic, as many children and youth are struggling with mental health and to reengage in learning, a growing chorus of people are calling for community schools as an approach to reinvent education to better serve students, educators, and families.

June 12, 2023 | In 2021, California committed to providing universal prekindergarten to all 4-year-olds and income-eligible 3-year-olds by 2025–26. Melanie Leung-Gagné and Hanna Melnick write about how schools and districts across the state are progressing on the planning and implementation for this ambitious expansion.

May 30, 2023 | Many students across the country don’t have access to opportunities to learn that prepare them for post-secondary life. Linda Darling-Hammond and Byron Ernest elevate examples from California and Indiana to illustrate how state boards of education can create innovative and equitable education models.

May 19, 2023 | Fremont High School in Oakland, CA, is among the many schools seeing benefits from adopting restorative practices in place of exclusionary discipline policies such as suspensions and expulsions, which disproportionately impact students of color and students with disabilities. Since implementing these policies, Fremont has reduced suspension rates and increased enrollments.

May 11, 2023 | Fifty public high schools that have been identified as “Schools of Opportunity” are founded on policies and practices that address achievement gaps by improving opportunities to learn. Kevin Welner and Kate Somerville discuss four lessons learned from these exemplary high schools.

March 10, 2023 | Parents, teachers, and researchers agree: Students need social and emotional skills to reach their full potential. Students may face hardships that impede their ability to learn, such as discrimination, housing insecurity, and school safety. Schools can enact polices that support whole child development to help their students’ through difficult times.

January 5, 2023 | As we ring in 2023, educators are leaving the teaching profession in record numbers. Federal policymakers should take action with a focused and purposeful set of policies to strengthen the educator workforce.

December 6, 2022 | Across the nation, many are marking the beginning of the end of the COVID-19 pandemic that has kept us apart for the past 2.5 years. But in education, it’s clear we can’t return to the old normal.

September 28, 2022 | Early data suggest chronic absence has doubled nationwide. Sixteen million students—or one out of every three—are now missing so much school that they are at risk academically. Fortunately, research and experience offer effective strategies for addressing chronic absences.