100-Day Policy Recommendations for Biden-Harris Administration

The Biden-Harris Administration will enter office with an unprecedented and unique array of challenges to ensuring equity, fairness, and excellence in our education system. Some of these challenges are not new. Decades-old policies of inequity and systemic racism continue to limit opportunities for students from low-income families, students of color, and others from historically disadvantaged

COVID-19 Response: High Dosage Tutoring to Accelerate Student Learning

Nicholas Munyan-Penney and Charles Barone Read more about HDT in our latest policy brief.   As COVID-19 continues to disrupt schooling for millions of children across our country, affluent families are hiring private teachers and tutors to offer one-on-one or small group instruction this fall. Our public education system should provide similar modes of personalized instruction

States Need to Step Up on Equity and COVID

By Nicholas Munyan-Penney and Charles Barone  The complications of restarting instruction for the 2020-21 school year in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic will require comprehensive and clear planning, especially as it relates to ensuring equitable access to a high-quality public education. This past spring, districts had to put together plans for remote instruction

New ERN Report Uncovers Yawning Racial Disparities in MI Higher Ed 

CARES Act Funding Could Remedy Opportunity Gaps, Reduce Burden of Debt Read the full report here. WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 20, 2020) –– A new report, released today, details how Michigan state officials can use the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity to address troubling racial and socioeconomic disparities in the number of students earning a degree at

Education, Civil Rights Groups Release Bold Education Agenda for Next Administration

NEW YORK, NY (July 14, 2020) — More than a dozen education and civil rights organizations today released an ambitious education agenda for the 117th Congress and next Administration that prioritizes policies to change the educational trajectory for our nation’s historically underserved students—particularly students of color and students living in high-poverty communities. The groups emphasize

Breaking the Cycle of Mediocrity

See the full report here Compared to other university departments and to teacher preparation programs in higher-achieving countries, U.S. teacher-training programs are generally found to have lower admission standards; easier grading of teacher candidates’ work; and a lower bar for graduation and licensure. Other shortcomings include: Curricula that emphasize theory over practice, Weak coursework building

Per-Pupil Expenditures in Illinois’ Largest School Districts

Nicholas Munyan-Penney & Charles Barone The analysis was based on new per-pupil spending figures required under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) In the next brief in a series analyzing within-district, per-pupil spending reports required by federal law released today by Education Reform Now, in Illinois, the two biggest takeaways are variability in funding among

Per-Pupil Expenditures in Ohio’s Largest School Districts

The analysis was based on new per-pupil spending figures required under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Nicholas Munyan-Penney & Charles Barone In the latest of a series of briefs analyzing within-district, per-pupil spending reports required by federal law, in Ohio, random variability in funding of schools with similar demographics and under-funding of middle schools

Personalized Learning: An Interview with National Thought Leaders and Practitioners

In November of 2018, at Education Reform Now’s annual Camp Philos conference in Boulder, Colorado, a distinguished panel of national personalized learning experts and practitioners shared their views on a wide range of topics including the evolving definition of personalized learning (PL), common misconceptions of PL, best practices, and next generation assessments and accountability. A

Release: Report Finds High Costs, Low Grad Rates in CT Colleges

Release: Report Finds High Costs, Low Grad Rates in CT Colleges November 12, 2019—Education Reform Now CT—a non-profit policy organization focused on improving public education and protecting civil rights—has released a new report looking at the costs and outcomes in Connecticut’s four-year colleges. The report, titled Less for More: Low Rates of Completion and High