Reports

April 19, 2023 | While the Every Student Succeeds Act presented promising possibilities for innovative state assessments, the path to realizing these opportunities has proven cumbersome and restrictive. Several possible federal executive actions could better enable states to design assessment systems that support deeper learning.

April 19, 2023 | California has committed to expanding universal prekindergarten to all of the state’s 4-year-olds by 2025-26. An analysis of responses to a 2022 survey by 1,108 local education agencies provides findings on how they are addressing key areas for expansion, including instruction and assessment, workforce development, facilities, and transportation.

April 18, 2023 | To help address long-standing social inequities, a growing number of states are investing in community schools. Community school initiatives in eight states point to three potential approaches other states can use to support community schools.

March 15, 2023 | Policymakers in Alabama, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, and West Virginia have worked to expand public preschool to meet growing demand. Researchers examine one of the biggest challenges they face: coordinating preschool providers that operate in very different contexts and settings and need different kinds of supports.

March 6, 2023 | Findings from hundreds of studies indicate that evidence-based SEL programs improve students’ social, emotional, behavioral, and academic outcomes at all grade levels and for all students. To successfully implement SEL, schools and educators need support by state and district infrastructures that advance whole child development.

March 6, 2023 | In 2019–20, 1.3 million U.S. students were identified as experiencing homelessness, yet efforts to support them are underfunded and inaccessible—for example, most districts serving these students don’t receive federal funds to assist them. Policy changes can help remove barriers and provide these students with the equitable education they deserve.

February 22, 2023 | In Texas, a large majority of new teachers are now hired before they complete preparation. Researchers have taken a deep dive into the state of the Texas teacher workforce to understand the conditions that have led to shortages and to surface the solutions and policies that can help.

January 12, 2023 | Expanding beyond standard college applications, which often reflect disparities in the education system, the Ross School of Business added a student-generated portfolio component in 2016. The school shows an example of how to move beyond traditional admissions to build a diverse and college-ready class.

October 3, 2022 | Examining five school districts committed to serving students experiencing homelessness, researchers explore how districts fund and staff their programs; how federal, local, and district policies can strengthen supports; and how districts identify and address the needs of this vulnerable student group.

September 30, 2022 | Research shows that exclusionary discipline practices like suspensions and expulsions are ineffective at improving school safety and deterring infractions, may have a long-lasting negative impact on students, and disproportionately affect students based on their gender, race, school level, and disability status.