Events

The Learning Policy Institute will be well represented at the AERA 2025 Annual Meeting in Denver, CO from April 23–27, 2025. Staff and research fellows will present their research on a range of topics, including community schools, teacher preparation, and early learning.

How redesigned high schools enable teachers to develop powerful, coherent practices through collaborative professional learning. Speakers discussed how redesigned high schools invest in preparing and supporting their teachers by providing opportunities for them to create a coherent set of practices and develop expertise.

California is working to expand universal prekindergarten (UPK) to all 4-year-olds and eligible 3-year-olds by 2025–26 and has made over $4 billion in investments. Experts at this briefing shared research on UPK enrollment trends and delivery strategies, and practitioners shared their UPK experiences and discuss strategies for future success.

How redesigned schools strengthen participation and learning through systems and structures that center student voice and family engagement. Experts discussed their experiences in building systems, structures, and environments that nurture the inclusion of students and families in decision-making and leadership roles.

The Brown decision aimed to build a multiracial democracy by emphasizing public education's role in fostering engaged citizens. Achieving this vision remains crucial today and demands a renewed focus on education's purpose and the role of communities in shaping our future. Brown underscores the pivotal contributions of African Americans in advancing democracy, with today’s educational goals grounded in their efforts to promote equity and societal progress.

Since Brown, brief progress in desegregation has been made yet it has often lacked successful integration and supportive school environments. Recent political and policy shifts have reversed gains, with school segregation, which is now back to 1970s levels. Addressing this and renewing efforts for integration and equity in education requires understanding the intersections of race, school finance, and desegregation policies.

Leading experts will explore ways to build systems of educator preparation that can support transformed schools and support collaboration and collegiality across schools.

How high schools feature engaging, authentic curriculum and performance-based assessments can motivate and foster deeper learning. Schools that have designed curriculum and assessment connected to authentic inquiry were featured and educators discussed the structures and feedback they offer to support learners.

This series explores successful high school redesign efforts that move beyond outdated, factory-style education models. They will discuss key features of a whole child education framework that better prepare students for today's global workforce, featuring experts and practitioners leading research-based transformation efforts.

A large body of research shows the positive impacts Black teachers have on the academic and social outcomes of Black students, students of color, White students, and White teachers. Despite this evidence, Black teachers are in increasingly short supply, posing a challenge to equity and representation in education.