Reports

January 15, 2025 | Summer learning plays a vital role in supporting students year-round. Recognized by the federal government as a key strategy for recovering from pandemic-related learning disruptions, it was supported through ESSR funds, which have now been spent or committed. Moving forward, lessons can be learned from states that have sustained their efforts.

December 31, 2024 | California's strategies to address teacher shortages and strengthen the teacher workforce include the Teacher Residency Grant Program, Golden State Teacher Grant Program, and National Board Certified Teacher Incentive Program. Data on these strategies show early signs of improvement, but consistent and reliable funding is needed to continue the momentum.

December 4, 2024 | About 40% of California's K-12 students speak a language other than English at home. Half of them receive English learner (EL) services for 5–7 years, but some students retain EL status longer. California recently reconfigured its dashboard to better understand what additional supports these students will need to reach their educational potential.

October 31, 2024 | This report analyzes the evolution and effectiveness of standards-based reforms in U.S. education beginning with increased federal involvement through the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act to more recent reforms, and explores the role of state governments in implementing systemic reforms aimed at aligning educational issues to enhance student outcomes.

October 31, 2024 | Studies link positive school climate to teacher outcomes such as retention and student outcomes, including increased academic achievement and attendance, higher graduation rates, improved behavior. As a result, more schools and districts are collecting and using climate data to improve school environments and inform policy and practice.

October 17, 2024 | Since the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act, state assessments have prioritized easily generated, comparable scores, often at the expense of teaching and learning. States looking to improve assessments can draw from those that have redesigned systems to align with research on student learning and student-centered instruction.

September 17, 2024 | A number of schools have been effective at rejecting the factory model and redesigning their systems to create safe environments with opportunities for exciting and rigorous academic work. Their successes have ideas in common, offering 10 important lessons for other schools.

August 26, 2024 | There has been a significant decline in school attendance since the onset of the pandemic. This is concerning since chronically absent students are more likely to fall behind academically, disengage socially, and drop out of school. Community schools are a promising strategy to mitigate chronic absenteeism and its underlying causes.

August 15, 2024 | Recognizing the importance of school leaders to teachers and students, California revised its standards guiding induction for administrators. The 2-year model includes coaching, PD, and assessments. An analysis of survey data and case studies provides policy recommendations to strengthen programs, better address administrator needs, and improve accessibility.

August 2, 2024 | Teacher residencies offer a strategy to simultaneously improve the quality of preparation and provide a long-term solution to teacher shortages. This examination of the teacher residency model looks to recent efforts in 12 states that shed light on how to fund and grow residencies.