Insights

Our team of policy and practice experts offer the latest thinking on the most critical, vexing problems–and solutions–within the American education and workforce systems.

School district leaders must make early education a priority.

A fiscal cliff looms, and school system leaders are facing difficult spending choices. But early childhood care and education is an area to sustain and grow investment, not cut.

1 way to avoid fiscal cliff: Make it easy for districts to apply for funding

Louisiana’s SuperApp streamlined funding applications and focused spending on what matters most for kids. It’s time for federal and state leaders to use it as a model.

Instructional coherence isn’t a trendy reform. It’s necessary—and it works.

Relinquishment and instructional coherence are two ways to improve student learning–and they don’t have to be at odds. Here’s how states and school districts can work together to ensure student success.

Excellent early childhood programs are within reach for states

Build Back Better is stalled, but this doesn’t mean states should hold off on preparing their early childhood systems for a brighter future. States like Louisiana and Colorado offer a blueprint for success.

We must reinvent high schools, but state policies stand in the way. How do we remove them?

The education system is far from delivering engaging, relevant experiences that enable young people to explore, plan, and prepare for their life after graduation. The first step to achieving this vision is untangling the web of policies and programs that comprise America’s “workforce development” field.