2025 Eddies Awards: Peter Tang Most Actionable Tools & Research

ExcelinEd, Jobs for the Future, New America, State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE)

Network Policy Pillar: Responsive Systems  

Link: Tennessee Industry Credential Alignment Analysis 

SUMMARY

This research helps state K-12 and postsecondary education leaders, policymakers, and workforce partners to understand the alignment between credentials earned by students and real-world labor market demand so they can strengthen the promoted and offered credentials for the benefit of students and employers.

WHY THIS RESEARCH MATTERS

This work matters because by 2031 63 percent of all jobs in Tennessee will require some postsecondary training beyond high school. Credentials are an important postsecondary training option, but far too many students are earning industry-recognized credentials that lead to low-wage, dead-end occupations or do not align with employer needs. 

ExcelinEd’s Tennessee Industry Credential Analysis addresses this disconnect head-on by identifying which credentials have real labor market value and providing a roadmap to improve credential quality, governance, and alignment.

By working with Lightcast, a global leader in labor market analytics,  and analyzing statewide data, the research uncovered actionable insights on how to ensure students are earning credentials that lead to living wages and career mobility. It also spotlights how Tennessee can streamline cross-agency governance, increase employer signaling, and align state investments with what works. 

Ultimately, this research elevates a central truth: ensuring credential value is critical for equity, economic mobility, and building a workforce that meets the demands of a fast-changing economy. 

THREE ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS

1. Postsecondary Institutions (Tennessee Board of Regents) should collect student-level data on postsecondary and industry credentials. In order to conduct the analysis, ExcelinEd had to reach out to the 37 community colleges and Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology (TCATs) to gather the data as it is not collected at the state level. The collection of the data is an essential first step to be able to leverage in decision making, and the state should fill this role 
2. In the short-term, Tennessee can assess which K-12 and postsecondary credentials are currently being promoted and consider mechanisms to support – especially at the regional level – the access and attainment of undersupplied credentials with higher wages. Increased access and attainment of these credentials would put students on pathways to in-demand jobs. 
3. Tennessee can strengthen their credential infrastructure through a tiered list of industry credentials. Stakeholder groups could develop an ongoing process to identify and evaluate credentials. This would include a standard for the high-wage, high-demand, and high-skill (H3) thresholds that show value across sectors with employers. This could streamline information for stakeholders across K-12 and postsecondary. Tennessee can now analyze student outcomes and use this data in future reviews.

HOW OTHER LEADERS INFORMED OR USED THIS RESEARCH

This work was informed by ongoing collaboration with fellow PIE Network members TNSCORE, JFF, and New America, among others.  

TNSCORE in parallel has developed the credential impact framework which addresses the same concerns but for postsecondary certificates and degrees, whereas ExcelinEd’s work hones in on industry-recognized credentials.  Additionally, prior to beginning the research, conversations with JFF and New America (and other partners in the Launch Pathways Initiative) helped shape the foundation of how ExcelinEd thinks about and supports states with their credentials work. As a part of that relationship, ExcelinEd ran the industry-credentials academy for the first Launch states.

UNDERSTANDING REACH AND IMPACT

• Policymaker Reach: Shared directly with state agency leaders through briefings, meetings and presentations. ExcelinEd presented to Tennessee Higher Education Commission & Student Assistance (THEC), Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR), TNSCORE, Tennesseans for Students Success, TennesseeCAN, Tennessee Department of Education, Governor’s office and Tennessee State Board.
• Downloads and Engagement: The report has been downloaded over 190 times from ExcelinEd’s website.
• Technical Assistance Requests: ExcelinEd has received requests from a number of states to support similar credential alignment analyses in the future.

BEST NC

Network Policy Pillar: Great Educators, Responsive Systems  

Link: Teacher Apprenticeship in North Carolina: Exploring In-Classroom Preparation for the Next Generation of Teachers 

SUMMARY

The Teacher Apprenticeship in NC brief helps inform state policymakers by outlining the challenges and opportunities of using teacher apprenticeships to strengthen the educator pipeline. Drawing on national expertise and early local models, the brief offers a clear call to action to leverage apprenticeships to better prepare the 43% of new teachers entering through alternative licensure. Shortly after its release, both the NC Senate and House filed identical legislation to establish the program.

WHY THIS RESEARCH MATTERS

This work is critical because it directly addresses the rising number of underprepared teachers, now 43% of North Carolina’s new hires, by creating a structured apprenticeship pathway that improves classroom readiness before candidates become teachers of record. By focusing on this group, the policy recommended in the Teacher Apprenticeship in NC (TANC) brief reduces attrition, limits student exposure to ineffective instruction, and supports stronger outcomes, particularly in high-need schools. 

The TANC brief outlines three apprenticeship pathways: Grow Your Own (e.g., TA to Teacher), paid year-long Student Teaching for traditional EPP candidates, and a new apprenticeship for Alternative Licensure candidates. ‘

Alternative Licensure candidates, college graduates without formal teacher prep, made up 43% of new hires in NC in 2023-24, representing over 4,000 classrooms annually. This group has higher attrition rates and is linked to lower student outcomes, especially in high-need schools. The brief identifies this pathway as the greatest opportunity to improve outcomes by targeting those most likely to enter classrooms underprepared. 

Redirection into a full-year, paid apprenticeship allows candidates to build essential classroom skills before becoming the teacher of record. Candidates train in a mentor teacher’s classroom with strict limits on solo instruction time, improving instructional quality from the start. Apprentices are embedded in Advanced Teaching Roles teams, giving them access to expert support and peer collaboration. Some participants may opt out after the experience, which helps prevent placing unprepared teachers in front of students. 

NC aims to create 5,000+ apprenticeships by 2035, prioritizing this group to reduce ineffective instruction at scale. Following the release of the TANC brief, both the NC House and Senate included language aligned to the brief’s recommendations in legislation.

THREE ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS

1. Prioritize Alternative Licensure Candidates for Apprenticeships: While most apprenticeship efforts nationally focus on teacher assistants or other non-traditional candidates, this brief identifies alternative license teachers as the greatest opportunity for impact. Last year, 43% of North Carolina’s new teachers entered on an alternative license without required educator preparation or experience, placing thousands of students into classrooms with an unprepared teacher. 
2. Address the Vicious Cycle of Underprepared Teaching: Alternative license teachers create a vicious cycle for the teacher pipeline. These candidates have higher turnover rates, lower student outcomes, and 47% do not continue to the next licensure level. Their rapid exit from the profession creates a multiplying demand for new hires. This cycle affects more than 4,000 classrooms annually, underscoring the urgent need for targeted intervention.
3. Leverage Advanced Teaching Roles (ATR) to Break the Cycle: The brief proposes using ATR strategies (also known as strategic staffing) to support apprentices and protect student learning. Every apprentice serves on an ATR team, receiving support from both a mentor and a lead teacher. Further, funded by the vacated teaching position, students who would otherwise be assigned to unprepared teachers are instead distributed among experienced educators who are paid to take on a higher student load.

HOW OTHER LEADERS INFORMED OR USED THIS RESEARCH

The Teacher Apprenticeship in North Carolina (TANC) brief was the result of years of collaborative work with leaders across the education ecosystem. It emerged directly from the NC STRIDE convenings held from 2020 to 2023, which brought together hundreds of educators, researchers, and policymakers to consider the key barriers to teacher recruitment. The resulting report NC STRIDE: An Action Plan for Teacher Recruitment in North Carolina  included 150 identified action items, from which teacher apprenticeship was determined to be a top-5 priority for teacher recruitment.  

NC STRIDE members included individuals from Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), Edunomics Lab, EdTrust, PIE Network, Branch Alliance, myFutureNC, Teach for America, Bellwether, the Hunt Institute, and the Public School Forum of NC. It also included representatives from the Governor’s office, House and Senate staff, and both our state agency and NC State Board of Education. Teachers, principals, district administrators, and EPP professors were also involved.

The TANC brief was prepared with input and citations from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, ApprenticeshipNC, myFutureNC, RTI International, Reach University, National Council on Teacher Quality, policymakers, and others. It was launched at our 2025 Education Innovation Lab in February 2025. 

Within days of the TANC brief release, legislative leaders pledged support for this teacher apprenticeship model and within a few months both included identical legislation in their proposed budgets that precisely mirrored the recommendations.

UNDERSTANDING REACH AND IMPACT

This research achieved measurable impacts by shaping nearly identical legislation in both chambers of the North Carolina General Assembly, directly reflecting the TANC brief’s recommendations. It also helped shift the focus of two major apprenticeship groups toward apprenticeship for alternative licensure candidates. 

Both chambers of the NC legislature filed identical legislation to establish teacher apprenticeship for alternative licensure candidates. The legislation aligns almost exactly with the TANC brief’s recommendations, including pilots, support structures, and research components. 

It introduces a mechanism for districts to trade vacant teaching positions to fund teachers who take on more students—supporting apprentices while addressing staffing gaps. The policy aims to break the high-turnover cycle caused by placing thousands of unprepared teachers in classrooms each year. As of nomination, the final state budget is pending, but momentum suggests the initiative will move forward regardless of the funding vehicle. 

The TANC brief has influenced external partners, with both ApprenticeshipNC and The Innovation Project shifting their priorities to focus on the alternative licensure pipeline. This shift represents a broader system-level impact, moving the field toward a higher-leverage and more scalable apprenticeship strategy.

RESOURCES

• North Carolina Senate Bill 508

ExcelinEd, Jobs for the Future, New America, State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE)

Network Policy Pillar: Responsive Systems  

Link: Tennessee Industry Credential Alignment Analysis 

SUMMARY

This research helps state K-12 and postsecondary education leaders, policymakers, and workforce partners to understand the alignment between credentials earned by students and real-world labor market demand so they can strengthen the promoted and offered credentials for the benefit of students and employers.

WHY THIS RESEARCH MATTERS

This work matters because by 2031 63 percent of all jobs in Tennessee will require some postsecondary training beyond high school. Credentials are an important postsecondary training option, but far too many students are earning industry-recognized credentials that lead to low-wage, dead-end occupations or do not align with employer needs. 

ExcelinEd’s Tennessee Industry Credential Analysis addresses this disconnect head-on by identifying which credentials have real labor market value and providing a roadmap to improve credential quality, governance, and alignment.

By working with Lightcast, a global leader in labor market analytics,  and analyzing statewide data, the research uncovered actionable insights on how to ensure students are earning credentials that lead to living wages and career mobility. It also spotlights how Tennessee can streamline cross-agency governance, increase employer signaling, and align state investments with what works. 

Ultimately, this research elevates a central truth: ensuring credential value is critical for equity, economic mobility, and building a workforce that meets the demands of a fast-changing economy. 

THREE ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS

1. Postsecondary Institutions (Tennessee Board of Regents) should collect student-level data on postsecondary and industry credentials. In order to conduct the analysis, ExcelinEd had to reach out to the 37 community colleges and Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology (TCATs) to gather the data as it is not collected at the state level. The collection of the data is an essential first step to be able to leverage in decision making, and the state should fill this role 
2. In the short-term, Tennessee can assess which K-12 and postsecondary credentials are currently being promoted and consider mechanisms to support – especially at the regional level – the access and attainment of undersupplied credentials with higher wages. Increased access and attainment of these credentials would put students on pathways to in-demand jobs. 
3. Tennessee can strengthen their credential infrastructure through a tiered list of industry credentials. Stakeholder groups could develop an ongoing process to identify and evaluate credentials. This would include a standard for the high-wage, high-demand, and high-skill (H3) thresholds that show value across sectors with employers. This could streamline information for stakeholders across K-12 and postsecondary. Tennessee can now analyze student outcomes and use this data in future reviews.

HOW OTHER LEADERS INFORMED OR USED THIS RESEARCH

This work was informed by ongoing collaboration with fellow PIE Network members TNSCORE, JFF, and New America, among others.  

TNSCORE in parallel has developed the credential impact framework which addresses the same concerns but for postsecondary certificates and degrees, whereas ExcelinEd’s work hones in on industry-recognized credentials.  Additionally, prior to beginning the research, conversations with JFF and New America (and other partners in the Launch Pathways Initiative) helped shape the foundation of how ExcelinEd thinks about and supports states with their credentials work. As a part of that relationship, ExcelinEd ran the industry-credentials academy for the first Launch states.

UNDERSTANDING REACH AND IMPACT

• Policymaker Reach: Shared directly with state agency leaders through briefings, meetings and presentations. ExcelinEd presented to Tennessee Higher Education Commission & Student Assistance (THEC), Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR), TNSCORE, Tennesseans for Students Success, TennesseeCAN, Tennessee Department of Education, Governor’s office and Tennessee State Board.
• Downloads and Engagement: The report has been downloaded over 190 times from ExcelinEd’s website.
• Technical Assistance Requests: ExcelinEd has received requests from a number of states to support similar credential alignment analyses in the future.

EdTrust

Network Policy Pillar: High Expectations 

Link: Automatic Enrollment Policies for Advanced Coursework

SUMMARY

This tool helps state advocates work with legislators to push for more equitable access to advanced coursework through automatic enrollment policies—a cost-effective way to promote equitable access to advanced coursework that has received bipartisan support. The tool provides specific policy recommendations, frequently asked questions, and a variety of state examples on automatic enrollment policies that give advocates important resources.

WHY THIS RESEARCH MATTERS

Too many students, particularly Black and Latino students and those from low-income backgrounds, are shut out of advanced courses, even when they’ve shown they are ready for rigorous coursework. The 2020-21 Civil Rights Data Collection showed that although Latino students make up 27% of all high school students, they are only 21% of all dual-credit students, and 25% of all Advanced Placement students. The situation is even more dire for Black students, who make up 15% of all high school students, but only 9% of dual-credit students, and 9.5% of students in AP. 

Previous EdTrust research has shown that high-achieving, under-represented students (Black and Latino students and those from low-income backgrounds) who took advanced math classes had higher four-year graduation rates and GPAs, as well as higher postsecondary matriculation and persistence than their high-achieving, under-represented peers who didn’t have access to advanced classes. 

Automatic enrollment, as showcased in EdTrust’s tool, is a proven, cost-effective way to expand access for students who are ready for advanced classes but are shut out by barriers or biases. The percentage of students taking advanced courses in one school district in Washington jumped from 35% to 61% in the year after adopting an automatic enrollment policy, and course passage rates remained above the district average. 

EdTrust’s research, and collaboration with the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence, led directly to the unanimous passage of House Bill 190 in Kentucky requiring all districts to develop a plan to expand access to advanced coursework or accelerated coursework in English, math, social studies, and science. The plans can include automatic enrollment of students who score at the “distinguished” level on state assessments into advanced classes. Pritchard plans to continue advocacy for automatic enrollment specifically in the next legislative session, with EdTrust’s ongoing support.

THREE ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS

1. Automatic enrollment is a low-cost, effective way to expand access to advanced coursework that has bipartisan backing. It provides access to advanced classes for students who have shown they’re ready for rigorous coursework, but who were shut out or overlooked by bias or other barriers. EdTrust’s toolkit provides examples in states as politically diverse as Washington, Texas, and North Carolina.  
2. Robust data collection is important. The data on successful policies clearly uncovers existing and continuing inequities to drive additional supports for students. For example, in North Carolina, 2022-23 data found that statewide, 8% of students in grades 6 and above who scored at the highest level on their prior year’s exam were not placed in an advanced math course, so districts should investigate if there are hidden barriers that are keeping students out. 
3. Success at the local level can drive expansion within states, and success in one state can spur others. EdTrust’s tool shows how the success of an automatic enrollment program in the Federated Way School District spurred Washington State’s program, and how success in Dallas paved the way for an automatic enrollment law in Texas. Similarly, the Prichard Committee pointed to North Carolina to assuage Kentucky lawmakers’ concerns about costs.

HOW OTHER LEADERS INFORMED OR USED THIS RESEARCH

PIE Network member Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence worked hand-in-glove with EdTrust in their effort to pass advanced coursework legislation in Kentucky, including citing this research numerous times, and will continue to do so. EdTrust worked with ExcelInEd and the Collaborative for Student Success to further this advocacy. 

In Minnesota, PIE Network member EdAllies cited EdTrust research in their advocacy for a bill that would create an automatic enrollment pilot program. Although the bill was not passed into law, EdAllies was able to pass an amendment to other legislation that allows automatic enrollment policies to be considered as one priority for an existing grant program to increase participation of underrepresented students in rigorous coursework. 

In previous years, EdTrust also worked with Stand for Children Washington to release research on automatic enrollment policies in that state. Advocates used that research to push for legislation — which cites the paper—to expand career and technical education dual credit classes.

UNDERSTANDING REACH AND IMPACT

In addition to EdTrust’s work in Kentucky, leading directly to unanimous passage of legislation expanding access to advanced coursework, the work was cited by advocates in Minnesota in their advocacy for legislation that would create universal enrollment pilot programs in up to six districts or charter schools. EdTrust staff also testified on behalf of the bill in the Minnesota senate.  

EdTrust is a frequently sought-after voice by media reporting on access to advanced coursework; in the past year, EdTrust experts spoke on the issue in trade press three times and in two state media outlets.

The EdTrust page housing our toolkit on automatic enrollment received 1,673 pageviews from 920 unique users as of June 27.

DC Policy Center

Network Policy Pillar: High Expectations 

Links:

• State of DC Schools 
• State of DC Schools Preview 
• Washington Post: While D.C. braces for cuts, Bowser proposes another boost for schools
  

SUMMARY

This research and report helps educators, policymakers, Local Education Agency (LEA) and school leaders, advocates, and families to understand how the public education system is serving students and where we need to grow so we can target investments, policies, and supports to accelerate outcomes and reduce inequities for our kids.

WHY THIS RESEARCH MATTERS

The State of DC Schools report provides an annual, systemwide snapshot of what’s working and where there are gaps in DC’s public education system. This work matters because it translates complex data into clear, actionable insights for decision-makers, school leaders, advocates, and families.

Our research begins with listening. Every year, we convene focus groups with parents, students, and educators—many through partners with connections to families like PAVE—to surface the most urgent questions our research must answer. We then rigorously analyze publicly available data, collaborate with partners like EmpowerK12 to deepen our analytics, and produce findings that are timely, relevant, and accessible. This wouldn’t be possible with the funding and support of Education Forward DC. 

The report’s power lies in its accessibility and actionability. It breaks down critical trends in attendance, achievement, growth, enrollment, and investments. It shows where progress is happening and where inequities persist. Because of this, it is widely used across agencies, schools, LEAs, and advocacy coalitions to drive targeted interventions and both short- and long-term strategy.

In 2025, the report’s findings about school year 2023-24 spurred citywide attention to chronic absenteeism, contributed to renewed investments in high-impact tutoring, and helped stakeholders assess the impact of recovery-era programs. Systems leaders routinely reference the report to inform Council testimony, budget hearings, and strategic plans. It has become a trusted flashlight for policy design and school improvement.

By offering a shared fact base that’s rooted in community priorities and relevant policies, the State of DC Schools report is helping DC take smarter steps toward opportunity and excellence for every student.

THREE ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS

1. Anticipating and Planning for Enrollment Shifts: The report provided the city’s most accessible and comprehensive overview of enrollment trends—by grade band, ward, and sector. These insights are being used by LEAs, city agencies, and community-based organizations to plan future investments, facility needs, and workforce pipelines.
2. Modest Academic Gains Highlight Urgency for College & Career Focus: While the report noted some recovery in academic outcomes, it also showed that progress has been modest and uneven. The findings emphasized that now is the time to go beyond recovery and invest in pathways that ensure all students are on track for postsecondary success—prompting renewed attention to high school outcomes and college and career readiness strategies.
3. Redefining the Role of Schools in Addressing Absenteeism: The report deepened citywide understanding of the chronic absenteeism crisis—not just as a student issue, but as a systems challenge. By examining attendance data alongside student support resources, the report helped spark conversations about how schools can evolve to better meet students’ non-academic needs, improve engagement, and foster belonging—contributing to reactivation of the Every Day Counts Task Force.

HOW OTHER LEADERS INFORMED OR USED THIS RESEARCH

This report reflects the collective expertise of our local advocacy ecosystem. PIE Network members directly shaped both the questions we asked and how we presented our findings.

PAVE partnered with us to support our family listening sessions that surfaced top concerns and areas for deeper investigation, including safety, attendance, and program access. A PAVE Parent Leader also joins our panel every year where we discuss findings from the report and what we should do next as a District to act on what we learned.

EmpowerK12 served as a key data collaborator, helping us refine our analysis and verify trends in academic performance, school growth, and citywide recovery metrics.

Education Forward DC supported this work through funding and thought partnership—ensuring the report was aligned to what system leaders most needed to move the needle for students.

The PIE Network Research Working Group provided early input on the attendance analysis and was an ongoing resource for ideas that are working around the country to examine in the report.

UNDERSTANDING REACH AND IMPACT

Distribution and Engagement: The 2024 State of DC Schools report was downloaded over 300 times and received more than 1,000 unique views online in the first two months. It was shared in newsletters by LEAs, advocacy organizations, and government agencies. The in-person release event attracted over 130 attendees, with elected officials, school leaders, and local and national organizations in the audience. The team was also invited to present at over 10 smaller briefings, including the DC Council, the DC State Board of Education, PAVE Parent Leaders, Education Forward DC, and other members of the local advocacy coalition. 

Media and Testimony: The report was cited by local and national media, including The Washington Post and the Washington Times , and referenced in at least 5 testimonies during the DC Council’s education and budget hearings in 2024–25.

Policymaker Use: Offices of Councilmembers, the Deputy Mayor for Education, and senior DC Public School (DCPS) officials regularly reference the report during planning sessions and public forums. Several agencies have requested follow-up briefings or customized data pulls to guide decision-making.

Cross-sector Influence: The report has informed planning for Out-of-School (OST) programs, mental health services, and school funding—demonstrating its broad applicability.

Education Resource Strategies

Network Policy Pillar: Great Educators

Links:

• Teacher Compensation Calculator 
• Teacher Salary Strategic Compensation 
• Understanding the Economics of the Teaching Job
• Teaching Job Hold’em for Districts

SUMMARY

This tool helps education leaders and advocates develop a new teacher compensation model so they can more effectively recruit and retain highly effective teachers. The Teacher Compensation Calculator enables users to populate real teacher data, then make adjustments to key areas like starting salary, years of experience, and hard-to-staff roles or schools, to create a more strategic compensation model. Users can compare costs, see personalized data models, & receive guidance for implementation.

WHY THIS RESEARCH MATTERS

Persistent teacher turnover and shortages make it difficult to ensure that students have consistent, high-quality instruction. One key lever for retaining effective teachers in the classroom is improving compensation models—and it’s not just about across-the-board raises or increasing pay evenly as teachers gain experience. Districts must be strategic in how they adjust compensation to ensure that: 

• Starting salaries are competitive and attract effective teachers
• Early career teachers, who are most likely to leave the school, stay in their role and grow.
• Teachers are incentivized to work in high-needs schools and hard-to-staff roles.
• Teachers are offered career pathways and compensated for taking on leadership roles. 

By making strategic investments and trade-offs, districts can take a holistic approach to the turnover and shortage crisis and develop a workforce that is energized and equipped to teach our nation’s students.

THREE ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS

1. Improving teacher compensation models can still be done in a challenging budget environment. This crucial work is possible by making strategic trade-offs, scaling back ineffective strategies and reallocating resources to ones with proven results on student outcomes. This tool reveals which methods are less effective, like automatic yearly raises for late-career teachers, and which are more effective, like investments in teacher leadership roles, plus the associated cost trade-offs.
2. Traditional compensation models—like step-and-lane—and retention strategies—like across-the-board raises—often fail to address the root problem. These rigid models prevent districts from retaining their most effective & most needed teachers. A strategic model provides supports for early career teachers & incentives for teaching in hard-to-staff areas, taking on leadership roles, or demonstrating student achievement. Our calculator allows you to adjust your strategy to account for these factors.
3. Improvements to teacher compensation should be part of a larger vision for a reimagined teaching profession. Alongside compensation shifts, district leaders should consider other proven strategies to support teachers, such as expert-led coaching teams, shelter-and-develop models for rookie teachers, and school schedule shifts that enable sustainable workloads. When paired with strategic compensation, these can profoundly impact teacher and student outcomes and experiences.

HOW OTHER LEADERS INFORMED OR USED THIS RESEARCH

The ERS Teacher Compensation Calculator is based on compensation modeling and teaching job redesign projects conducted in partnership with districts and state education agencies across the nation. As part of our partnerships with SEAs and districts—including the Texas Education Agency, Anne Arundel Public Schools, Metro Nashville Public Schools, and Tennessee SCORE—we have developed region-specific cost modeling tools to fit their individual contexts, like new or changed legislation on funding or teacher incentives. These real-world experiences enabled us to develop a universal online tool that accurately reflects investments in the teaching job, which levers can drive the most change, and the costs associated with making strategic shifts in models.

UNDERSTANDING REACH AND IMPACT

Over the past year, the teacher compensation calculator landing page and tool have been accessed nearly 13,000 times, including in all 50 U.S. states and internationally. District leaders across the country—including in Maryland, Georgia, and Connecticut—and state leaders in Texas and Tennessee have used this tool as part of their strategic compensation redesign work.

50CAN

Network Policy Pillar: High Expectations, Innovative Options, Responsive Systems

Links: The State of Educational Opportunity in America 

SUMMARY

This research helps state and local education advocates and policymakers to better understand how parents perceive and experience the current education landscape so they can craft more targeted, family-centered education policies that meet community needs.

WHY THIS RESEARCH MATTERS

Most education decisions are made at the state and local levels, but national surveys don’t capture these crucial differences. We set out to change that. The State of Educational Opportunity in America report offers a state-by-state view of how over 20,000 parents experience educational opportunity in America. It captures not just what happens in the classroom but a full ecosystem of learning – from school satisfaction to tutoring access, out-of-school participation, mental health support, and college/career readiness. Unlike national surveys that overlook local nuance, this 50-state survey surfaces disparities and unmet needs in ways that are actionable at the state level.

Advocates can use this tool to identify opportunity gaps by geography, income, race, and school type. The findings directly inform the design of a more responsive education ecosystem that can better meet the needs of families across the country.

Data gleaned from the report has already helped state leaders make the case for expanded tutoring access, new summer and afterschool investments, and more transparent communication with parents. Ultimately, this report and accompanying data dashboard tool equips policymakers with the parent perspective they need to create policies that directly improve student outcomes – because better family-centered policy starts with listening to families directly.

THREE ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS

1. Inequality isn’t just about school. The survey examined participation in a range of out of school activities. What we found is that students doing well inside the classroom also are much more likely to have the opportunity to participate in a wide range of activities. Yet deep, persistent income-based gaps exist in areas parents value most, like organized sports (35-point gap) and the arts (26-point gap). Inequality in opportunity extends well beyond the classroom.
2. Unmet demand is high. While large numbers of children do not participate in out of school activities, it is not because of a lack of interest from their parents. Many parents, especially from low-income households, want access to tutoring, summer programs, dual enrollment, and afterschool learning but can’t get it. Policymakers must address this gap.
3. Middle-income families face similar opportunity gaps as low-income families. With many of the activities and experiences explored in the report, lack of opportunity is not just a phenomenon among low-income families. It is a middle-class challenge as well. In many cases, the challenges and barriers faced by middle-class families are much closer to that of low-income families than high-income families. An effective education opportunity agenda must support a broader swath of families.

HOW OTHER LEADERS INFORMED OR USED THIS RESEARCH

The ERS Teacher Compensation Calculator is based on compensation modeling and teaching job redesign projects Throughout the design of the survey, 50CAN consulted with state-level advocacy partners and PIE Network members to ensure the survey questionnaire reflected real policy questions that leaders are actively working to better understand. PIE members informed areas of emphasis – including college readiness, mental health access, and extracurricular participation. After publication, several PIE Network members, including PAVE DC, Fordham Institute, and ExcelinED used the data to drive policy conversations. Some state leaders have cited unmet demand findings in legislative sessions to secure more funding for afterschool and tutoring programs. Other state leaders have drawn on the school-type satisfaction data to bolster arguments for expanding school choice or reforming enrollment systems. This collaboration demonstrates the report’s value not just as a research tool, but as a strategic asset for driving change in statehouses and local school boards.

UNDERSTANDING REACH AND IMPACT

• Media and digital engagement: 6,500+ downloads of the State of Educational Opportunity report. Over 1,000+ downloads of state reports. Over 15,000 page views within the first month of release; featured in national outlets and several state news sites.
• Advocacy use: Referenced in at least 14 state-based policy memos in addition to legislative hearings, and advocacy campaigns. Some state leaders have briefed Governors’ teams across a number of states– leveraging data from the survey to make recommendations.
• Training and events: Presented in over 15 briefings for education partners and coalitions.

RESOURCES

• State of Educational Opportunity in America (Data Explorer Tool)

Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE)

Network Policy Pillar: Responsive Systems  

Link: AI In Education

SUMMARY

This research helps school system leaders, policymakers, and funders understand how AI early adopters are navigating implementation so they can design more effective, equitable, and scalable strategies for AI integration in education.

WHY THIS RESEARCH MATTERS

CRPE’s AI Early Adopters research is crucial because it provides the education field with the earliest, most comprehensive picture of how school systems are using generative AI—and the barriers they face in doing so effectively, ethically, and equitably. As AI tools become more embedded in classrooms, district offices, and policy decisions, education leaders need timely insights to inform their strategies. Our work meets that need.

We engaged 23 school systems and eight support networks identified as AI Early Adopters. These participants reflected geographic and demographic diversity and were selected through a rigorous nomination and review process. Our research methods included surveys, 18 focus groups with 45 participants, and follow-up interviews with 18 educators and administrators in seven districts. This mixed-methods approach allowed us to examine both broad trends and deeper, district-level implementation efforts. We also held post-data collection briefings to validate findings and incorporate participant feedback.

Our research surfaced what’s actually happening on the ground. While most districts are still in early stages, many are piloting AI to reimagine instructional models, address educator shortages, and personalize support for multilingual learners and students with disabilities. At the same time, we identified critical gaps—including limited AI literacy, inconsistent policy guidance, edtech overload, and a lack of alignment between tools and instructional goals.

The research equips system leaders, state policymakers, and funders with concrete guidance to overcome these barriers and make AI work for students—especially those who have been historically underserved. It advances actionable insights on how to structure networks, policies, and investments to support the safe, meaningful, and strategic use of AI in education. Ultimately, this work supports a long-term vision where AI isn’t just another tech trend, but a powerful lever to increase access.

THREE ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS

1. Early Adopter districts need clear AI implementation goals aligned to overall strategy. Without a defined purpose, efforts remain fragmented. CRPE urges leaders to clarify the “why” of AI adoption, ensure tool alignment with academic and operational goals, and include diverse stakeholder input—especially educators and families—to ensure relevance, coherence, and early buy-in.
2. AI literacy is foundational. Educators and education leaders often fear or misunderstand AI tools, leading to resistance or misuse. CRPE recommends proactive training to build confidence and shared understanding of how AI works—and doesn’t. Investing in capacity-building can unlock safer, more meaningful experimentation and help school staff support students as AI users and citizens.
3. Districts can’t do this alone. CRPE found that state leaders, funders, and intermediaries must step up to build the infrastructure and networks needed for ethical AI use. Policy guidance, learning networks, and funding for pilots are all crucial supports. These actors can create conditions for Early Adopters to move beyond isolated pilots and toward sustainable, system-wide transformation.

HOW OTHER LEADERS INFORMED OR USED THIS RESEARCH

Education leaders across the PIE Network ecosystem have informed and amplified CRPE’s work. One major example is the 2024 PIE Network’s annual summit, where CRPE leaders contributed to and captured lessons from an AI Hackathon with advocacy and research partners. Insights from that session directly shaped CRPE’s research typology and policy recommendations.

Tennessee SCORE also applied CRPE’s research directly in the development of its Unlocking AI: A Primer for Educators, published in fall 2024. This resource emerged after SCORE leaders participated in briefings and conversations with CRPE researchers to understand trends from AI Early Adopter districts. The primer became one of the earliest field-facing tools to translate AI research into practical guidance for educators.

CRPE also engaged with a range of other highly regarded organizations that applied our research to shape their own work:

• Bellwether used CRPE’s findings to inform its publication Learning Systems: Shaping the Role of Artificial Intelligence in Education. 
• TeachAI incorporated CRPE insights into its AI Guidance for Schools Toolkit and national Landscape Analysis. These resources have helped districts and state leaders begin to frame their own AI policies and practices.
• Transcend used Early Adopter findings to guide its rural district cohort design. 
• Stanford University’s Gen AI Hub and the National Education Association both sought out CRPE’s input for upcoming publications and national strategy work. 

Though not PIE Network members, these organizations are shaping the field’s approach to AI in significant ways. These resources have helped districts and state leaders begin to frame their own AI policies and practices. 

By collaborating across these networks, CRPE actively informed resources, toolkits, policy conversations, and cross-sector strategies to help education leaders make sense of generative AI. This blend of member and non-member engagement helped amplify the study’s reach.

UNDERSTANDING REACH AND IMPACT

CRPE has briefed over 2,725 education leaders, policymakers, and funders directly. We presented our research at 12 conferences, including ASU+GSV, ISTELive 2025, and the PIE Network Summit. These convenings facilitated real-time idea exchange between researchers and practitioners.

Our work has influenced 10 different policy guidance or resource tools, inlcuding Virginia’s model policy on internet safety, Tennessee’s educator AI primer, and TeachAI’s national guidance toolkit. Our findings are also informing upcoming publications for Stanford University’s Getting Down to Facts III and the NEA’s 2026 strategy.

But perhaps our most significant impact is this: in total, 1.25 million students are served by districts that participated in our study, meaning the findings—and the supports they informed—are already shaping AI readiness in classrooms across the country.

RESOURCES

• AI is coming to U.S. classrooms, but who will benefit?
• Districts and AI: Tracking Early Adopters and What This Means for 2024-25

ConnCAN

Network Policy Pillar: Responsive Systems  

Link: Maps.conncan.org

SUMMARY

This research or tool helps community members to understand their own district/school outcomes, compare it to their neighbors, analyze how education aligns with life outcomes – so they can advocate for data-driven decision-making at the state and local-levels on educational outcomes for their children.

WHY THIS RESEARCH MATTERS

This work matters because equitable access to clear, comprehensive data is foundational to improving student outcomes and opportunities across Connecticut. By creating an interactive education data map, ConnCAN has built a powerful tool that democratizes information—placing it directly in the hands of community members, policymakers, educators, and advocates. Too often, data about our public schools is scattered, outdated, or difficult to interpret. ConnCAN’s platform addresses that gap by compiling and organizing all publicly available education data in one easy-to-navigate place, giving users the ability to compare schools and districts, identify trends, and surface disparities.

What makes this tool even more impactful is the integration of education data with broader quality-of-life indicators, such as life expectancy. This helps illustrate the deep connections between educational opportunity and community well-being, reinforcing the urgency of addressing inequities. When we can see, on one screen, where low reading scores intersect with high poverty and shortened life spans, we gain a more complete understanding of the stakes—and of where to focus our efforts.

In addition, by including collective bargaining agreements for every district, the map sheds light on the policy and contractual frameworks that shape students’ learning conditions and teachers’ working conditions. This level of transparency equips stakeholders with the context they need to advocate effectively for reforms—whether related to staffing, school calendars, or professional development.

Ultimately, this tool supports smarter decision-making. It empowers local leaders to act on evidence, helps families understand their schools, and enables the public to hold systems accountable. When data is accessible, equity is more achievable. ConnCAN’s data map is not just a resource—it’s a catalyst for informed action and lasting change in Connecticut’s schools.

THREE ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS

1. Just because data is public doesn’t make it digestible – our state has created a comprehensive database of education information but its format can be cumbersome and difficult for families/legislators to navigate. Our tool visualizes each and every part of that educational experience so people can truly interact with the data rather than download excel sheets with over 10,000 cells of information.
2. Identify and Address Geographic Inequities – The map visually highlights disparities in student outcomes—such as test scores, chronic absenteeism, and graduation rates—across districts and neighborhoods. Users can pinpoint where outcomes are lowest and compare them to areas with stronger performance. This helps policymakers, advocates, and school leaders target resources and interventions where they are most needed, particularly in communities facing systemic barriers.
3. Increase Transparency and Support Evidence-Based Policy – With access to collective bargaining agreements and key policy information, stakeholders—from local board members to state legislators—can make more informed decisions. This transparency allows for meaningful comparisons and encourages the alignment of policies (e.g., staffing, calendars, professional learning time) with student-centered goals. Advocates can use this data to push for changes that reflect best practices and local needs.

HOW OTHER LEADERS INFORMED OR USED THIS RESEARCH

ConnCAN’s interactive education data map was inspired directly by the work of fellow PIE Network member NewMexicoKidsCAN, who developed a similar tool to bring transparency to education outcomes in their state. Their project demonstrated the power of clear, visual data to drive conversation and action around equity. Seeing its impact, ConnCAN recognized the potential to adapt and build on this model for Connecticut, where public education data was too often siloed, outdated, or inaccessible to non-experts.

We collaborated with the Keystone Policy Center to bring technical and strategic expertise to the table, ensuring the map would not only aggregate publicly available data but also present it in a way that is intuitive and actionable for multiple audiences—families, educators, legislators, and advocates.

Throughout the development process, we leaned on insights and best practices from other PIE Network partners who emphasized the importance of community context, user-friendly design, and policy relevance. These lessons informed key decisions such as including collective bargaining agreements, school-level filters, and overlays of life expectancy data to emphasize how education outcomes intersect with broader community well-being.

Since the map’s release, several education leaders across the PIE Network have reached out to learn more about how Connecticut’s version was built, with the goal of replicating it in their own states. Others have used the data to support their legislative agendas or deepen local community engagement.

This project is a strong example of how collaboration and knowledge-sharing across the PIE Network can spark innovation and accelerate impact—ultimately driving better outcomes for students, especially those in historically underserved communities.

UNDERSTANDING REACH AND IMPACT

Although the tool was launched recently, ConnCAN is actively tracking its reach and impact through several key metrics: total website clicks and user engagement, media coverage and mentions, and the frequency with which policymakers reference or use the map in policy discussions and decision-making. Early indicators are promising, with initial media hits generating public interest and increased traffic to the tool. We are also monitoring how often local and state leaders cite the data in legislative testimony, budget debates, and community forums to inform education policy and resource allocation.

State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE)

Network Policy Pillar: High Expectations, Responsive Systems  

Links:

• A Framework for Credential Impact in Tennessee 
• Recording: SCORE Institute, Connecting Education and Opportunity 
• Report: Impact of Nondegree Credentials 
• Recording: SCORE Institute, Nondegree Credentials

SUMMARY

This framework helps students understand how different credentials can lead to future earning potential and career prospects so they can make informed decisions about post-secondary opportunities that better result in careers that lead to economic independence. 

The framework also helps educators, policymakers, and business leaders align policies and partnerships around impact credentials so they can incentivize, create, and expand pathways that lead to economic opportunity for all students.

WHY THIS RESEARCH MATTERS

Informed by data, research, and stakeholder input, the framework for credential impact will inform students about educational pathways that unlock workforce opportunities and lives of economic independence.   

Over the past two decades, Tennessee has expanded access to higher education and workforce training. However, several concerns remain: 

• More students complete postsecondary education and training, but their earnings vary widely based on the credential or degree they receive, and only half of credentials earned are aligned to high-demand occupations.  
• The state’s labor force participation rate — the number of Tennesseans working or looking for work — continues to decline despite significant economic growth and workforce opportunities. 

Tennessee had no common framework to help measure whether credentials being earned are directly linked to high-wage, high-demand careers that meet Tennessee’s workforce needs. Over the course of nearly a year, SCORE convened K-12, higher education, and industry leaders to develop a framework featuring data that provides students with information about high-impact credentials based on job outlook, wages, and credential stackability. The framework can also be utilized by state and local leaders to align programs, policies, and funding to credentials of impact, transforming Tennessee’s workforce and making our state more competitive in an increasingly dynamic economy. 

The framework captures the impact of credential and degree programs, signaling the following outcomes we want to be true for all Tennesseans: 

• A student’s earnings after credential completion are sufficient to meet the costs of living and earn a return on their investment 
• A credential is aligned to future job opportunities 
• If a credential doesn’t immediately align with a high-wage, high-demand job, it provides a pathway through stackability toward a credential that does

THREE ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS

1. Utilizing data to catalyze change: This framework provides the state with actionable data to evaluate students’ postsecondary outcomes while also supporting new, statewide goals to meet the state’s projected needs for a skilled workforce. Development of the framework illuminated critical state data enhancements that are needed to better measure and understand credential and degree outcomes, and state workforce agencies have already taken efforts to improve this data collection.
2. Leveraging state resources: State resources — whether through financial aid or funding formulas — can be tied to this framework definition. New state policies or existing state initiatives can be aligned to support a statewide ecosystem where all students are guided toward credentials that lead to greater career opportunities and earnings in Tennessee. SCORE intends to utilize this framework to advocate for changes to the state’s outcomes-based funding formula for higher education.
3. High school pathways and advising: The framework provides students with data about programs that will lead to greater career opportunities. It is a compass for K-12 leaders to assess offerings — dual enrollment, career and technical education, and early postsecondary opportunities — and help prioritize offerings aligned to high-impact credentials. At the state level, the Tennessee Department of Education is aligning their list of promoted K-12 industry credentials to the framework.

HOW OTHER LEADERS INFORMED OR USED THIS RESEARCH

INFORMED OUR WORK:

Our work was directly informed by stakeholder input from dozens of leaders across K-12 and higher education, including school superintendents, higher education institutions, state agencies, and nonprofits. These education leaders, along with representatives from state workforce agencies, businesses, chambers of commerce, and the governor’s office, worked collaboratively for over a year with SCORE to build the blueprint for an impact credentials framework. In addition to providing thought leadership, participants provided their data to model how the framework would impact existing credentials and degrees.  

SCORE looked to and spoke with several PIE Network members throughout the process, including network members in Texas, North Carolina, and Colorado. Conversations with members such as EducateTexas and MyFutureNC provided SCORE with insights that informed development of the framework. 

APPLIED OUR WORK:

This framework is being applied across Tennessee as local, regional, and state education and workforce agencies develop strategic plans to support students and their future careers. Several examples of application include: 

• The state’s higher education commission intends to use the credential impact framework to inform their master planning process. 
• Presentation to the Tennessee State Board of Education to inform their work on high school pathways. 
• Presentation to the Tennessee State Workforce Development Board as they reimagine the role of the state workforce board. 
• Meetings with local workforce development board leaders to share more about the framework as they consider how it could help them with strategic planning, workforce development, and the eligible training provider list. 
• Presentations to a regional steering committee to drive strategic planning, system development, capacity building, and performance monitoring.

UNDERSTANDING REACH AND IMPACT

Our report, Connecting Education and Opportunity: A Framework for Credential Impact in Tennessee, has been downloaded 347 times, 166 people attended the SCORE Institute event launching the report, and the event recording has been viewed 395 times on YouTube. The State Gazette, Tennessee Firefly, and Arnold Ventures highlighted the framework through their platforms. 

• State Gazette: https://www.stategazette.com/news/state-leaders-join-score-to-release-set-students-on-path-to-economic-independence/article_4a7a47f3-f82b-51dd-b821-2360d9c499cd.html 
• Tennessee Firefly: https://www.tnfirefly.com/news/new-score-report-highlights-framework-to-measure-the-impact-of-postsecondary-credentials 
• Arnold Ventures: https://www.arnoldventures.org/stories/connecting-education-opportunity-a-framework-for-credential-impact-in-tennessee  

The framework was also highlighted during our Future Forward Summit in Feb. 2025. 304 people attended that event, and various portions of the event have been viewed 275 times on YouTube. 

Building on SCORE’s credential impact framework, our report, Impact of Nondegree Credentials in Tennessee, has been downloaded 364 times, 137 people attended the SCORE Institute event launching the report, and the event recording has been viewed 200 times on YouTube.

myFutureNC

Network Policy Pillar: High Expectations, Responsive Systems  

Links:

• North Carolina County Educational Data and Resources
• myFutureNC – Profile | Tableau Public

SUMMARY

This research and tool helps local education, business, community, and workforce leaders pinpoint attainment gaps, monitor progress, and align strategies so they can boost credential attainment, meet workforce needs, and strengthen education-to-workforce outcomes across NC.

WHY THIS RESEARCH MATTERS

North Carolina has set an ambitious goal: 2 million adults with a high-quality credential or degree by 2030. To get there, communities need clear, actionable data that ties education to workforce outcomes. Our suite of tools—county and regional attainment profiles plus a dynamic Tableau dashboard—brings this data to life.

The county attainment profiles (https://dashboard.myfuturenc.org/county-data-and-resources/) provide every NC county with a concise, visually compelling snapshot of educational and workforce indicators. Starting in 2024, we expanded this to include regional profiles aligned with prosperity zones, workforce boards, councils of government, and charter regions, equipping local leaders with relevant comparisons and regional collaboration opportunities.

Beyond these, we offer researcher-ready spreadsheets with detailed school-level data and multi-year trends, ensuring local planners and advocates can dive deep. 

Our Tableau dashboard complements this by providing interactive data on attainment progress since 2019, when myFutureNC was established, tracking county-level progress toward 2030 goals, demographic shifts, and credential completion.

These tools matter because they ensure communities hold themselves to high standards, identify equity gaps, and take collective responsibility for results. They are routinely used in strategic plans, grant applications, and board presentations, shaping how counties prioritize policies from FAFSA completion to adult learner outreach.

Ultimately, by turning complex data into locally meaningful insights, we empower communities to drive initiatives that boost student attainment, fuel economic growth, and secure NC’s future workforce. By highlighting gaps and opportunities at the local level, myFutureNC’s tools empower leaders to tailor strategies that meet students where they are. This enables more effective alignment of education and workforce systems, ensuring that students not only graduate but do so with credentials that open doors to meaningful careers. It supports equity, responsiveness, and impact—key ingredients for improving outcomes and expanding opportunity for every learner in North Carolina.

THREE ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS

1. Identify Local Attainment Gaps: Use county-level, school-level and complementary profiles to pinpoint specific areas where students are falling short of postsecondary attainment goals, enabling targeted intervention.
2. Align Educational Strategies with High-Demand Careers: Leverage credential and workforce data to prioritize programs and policies that connect students to high-wage, high-demand jobs in their local economies.
3. Drive Collaborative, Data-Informed Decision-Making: Equip cross-sector stakeholders—educators, employers, policymakers—with shared metrics to coordinate efforts and invest in solutions tailored to each community’s unique needs.

HOW OTHER LEADERS INFORMED OR USED THIS RESEARCH

PIE Network partners directly shaped this work. The NC Association for Public Charter Schools gave feedback that led to regional charter profiles, now widely used in the charter community. BEST NC offered input during development and later spotlighted our Tableau maps and indicators in their annual report, calling our analysis-ready spreadsheets highly useful. Public School Forum of NC frequently uses our “leaky pipeline” data to highlight postsecondary gaps.

More broadly, superintendents, community college presidents, and county commissioners use our dashboards to set goals, pursue grants, shape student pathways, guide funding priorities, and drive local strategies. We run annual stakeholder feedback sessions (webinars and surveys) plus gather insights year-round through presentations and conversations—ensuring PIE members and education leaders continually inform and improve these tools.

UNDERSTANDING REACH AND IMPACT

From 2020 to 2024, our dashboard site received 266,939 pageviews, with 45% year-over-year growth in 2024 over 2023. In 2024 alone, we’ve recorded 78,179 pageviews, 33,947 unique users, and 5,195 direct downloads of our profiles and spreadsheets.

Our Tableau visualizations, launched more recently, already total 13,418 views, with the 2025 county attainment progress viz alone drawing 4,726 views with strong local use. Beyond web metrics, our profiles and dashboards are cited in strategic plans, grant proposals, and presentations by state legislators, superintendents, community college presidents, workforce boards, and chambers across NC. They’ve been cited by state legislators, education agencies, local boards, and workforce partners across North Carolina. Additionally, our webinar briefings have reached all 115 NC school superintendents, demonstrating reach that goes far beyond clicks—directly informing local decisions to boost attainment and workforce alignment.

GO Public Schools

Network Policy Pillar: High Expectations, Responsive Systems  

Links:

• https://bit.ly/FresnoELGuide
• https://bit.ly/FresnoELGuia
• https://bit.ly/OaklandELGuide
• https://bit.ly/OaklandELGuia
• https://bit.ly/WCCELGuide
• https://bit.ly/WCCELGuia
• https://bit.ly/ModestoELGuide
• https://bit.ly/ModestoELGuia \
• Forward Together: A Parents’ Guide to Reclassification

SUMMARY

This research or tool helps families of English learners to navigate the complex English Learner reclassification process by providing actionable information and accessible data so they can actively advocate for their children’s needs and for improved systems, supports, and services for English learner students throughout their community.

WHY THIS RESEARCH MATTERS

Across California, there are over 1,000,000 English Learner (EL) students, of whom over 313,000 are “At-Risk” or Long-Term. These students are held back, not by their potential, but by a system too complex for families to navigate. Forward, Together: A Parents Guide to Reclassification puts the power back where it belongs: in parents’ hands.

Reclassification is a key equity milestone for EL’s, it unlocks access to college-prep coursework, removes unnecessary barriers, and signals a student is truly supported. Yet too many families are left without a roadmap, especially those new to the country, unfamiliar with California’s education system and limited by a first language that isn’t English.

Forward, Together: A Parents’ Guide to Reclassification addresses this equity challenge by transforming the reclassification process from a technical policy into an accessible step-by-step journey. GO’s bilingual and locally tailored guides for Oakland, West Contra Costa, Modesto, and Fresno, give families the practical tools they need to track progress and prepare for each reclassification criterion. They also provide district-level insights to compare outcomes and spotlight equity gaps. While locally tailored, the guides reflect statewide policies and are used by advocates and families across California.

Developed with input from family leaders, these data-informed guides help parents understand how reclassification works, what to watch for, and how to partner with schools to accelerate their child’s success. Forward Together serves a dual purpose: it supports families in advocating for their own students’ English language development and reclassification, and it sparks broader conversations about how to improve systems for all English learners. The guide outlines advocacy pathways for families to explore school and program options, participate in English Learner Advisory Committees, and push for stronger district EL Master Plans.

THREE ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS

The path from identification as an English Learner to reclassification as Fluent English Proficient in California is complex. Families must navigate a home-language survey and support students through 4 criteria: the English Language Proficiency Assessment of California (ELPAC), a local basic skills test, teacher evaluation, and parent consultation. Families, especially of students who are dually identified as ELs with disabilities, need clear guidance to navigate these steps effectively.

English Learners and Reclassified students make up 33% of California’s student population. While many speak Spanish, dozens of other home languages are represented. Although the number of ELs who have been reclassified increases as students move through the grades, many students remain “long-term English learners,” highlighting the need for sustained support throughout their K-12 education.

Families have multiple pathways to advocate for their students and for English learners more broadly, and our guide outlines these pathways in parent-friendly terms. They can explore school and language program options, partner with schools to track progress toward reclassification and college readiness, and advocate for needed support. Families can also join their school’s English Learner Advisory Committee or push for a new English learner “master plan” for their districts. 

HOW OTHER LEADERS INFORMED OR USED THIS RESEARCH

Our work has been informed by the work of English learner advocacy groups, such as Californians Together, and by literacy advocates seeking to bridge the gaps between literacy and EL advocacy– such as signatories of the “Joint Statement on the Science of Reading and English Learners,” which includes PIE member organizations like EducationTrust, EducationTrust-West, TNTP, as well as GO. We’ve also drawn from the work of data advocacy leaders like the Data Quality Campaign, and from PIE members like 50Can,whose Guide to Building Advocacy Campaigns and the AdvocacyLabs Guide to the Science of Advocacy have helped shape our strategy. 

Our approach is also shaped by a reciprocal partnership with district cabinet-level leaders and board trustees. By collaborating closely with superintendents, chiefs of instructions, and elected trustees, we integrate their strategic insights while simultaneously building their capacity for family-centered advocacy. This two-way exchange ensures our guides reflect governance realities and equips district leaders to sustain and scale effective EL initiatives. 

Formal parent leaders, such as DLCAPS chairs, DELAC chairs, and English Learner Advisory Committee members, are vital education partners. We learn directly from their experiences and incorporate their feedback to ensure our work is responsive to real family needs. In turn, our guides and trainings equip these leaders with the data, language, and advocacy strategies they need to influence school and district decisions on behalf of English learners. 

Through these multilayered collaborations, we’ve co-created resources that are both grounded in statewide policy and finely tuned to local contexts. This collective approach ensures that Forward, Together is a living tool, advancing the shared goals of equitable, multilingual education systems for all California students.

UNDERSTANDING REACH AND IMPACT

We measure the reach and impact of our guides across three areas: independent engagement, collaborative engagement, and partner utilization. 

Independent engagement includes nearly 4,200 downloads of our bilingual, district-specific guides for Oakland, West Contra Costa, Modesto, and Fresno. We also track strong email engagement rates with open rates consistently between 38% and 51%, reflecting the growing demand for actionable, accessible guidance on the reclassification process. 

Our collaborative engagement happens through our webinars, data talks, and site-based sessions where families, educators, and community leaders use the guides together to unpack local data and clarify reclassification steps. In Easton, a migrant farmworker community south of Fresno, we presented the guide directly to families, deepening community understanding of EL policies and the reclassification journey. These in-person and virtual sessions allow us to listen to lived experiences, answer questions, and build advocacy skills grounded in local data.

Partner utilization has grown significantly. District leaders, trustees, and EL administrators use our guides to inform policy, lead parent workshops, and support district planning. A key example is the Central Valley Multilingual Consortium, a regional network focused on improving outcomes for refugee, immigrant, and low-income EL students. As part of the CVMC advisory group, GO helped guide strategy using Forward, Together as a model for how family-facing tools can help to address equity gaps, including a 22-point college readiness disparity for ELs in the region. Other organizations also incorporate our materials, extending our reach well beyond GO’s formal service area and strengthening statewide advocacy for ELs. 

Together, these engagement layers show how our guides empower families while supporting systems change through strategic partnerships with education leaders and community-rooted coalitions.

Edunomics Lab

Network Policy Pillar: Responsive Systems  

Link: Edunomics Lab NAEP Truth Bomb: ROI over time a national and state-by-state look

SUMMARY

NAEP Truth Bomb: These ROI graphs display state-by-state trends on spending and student outcomes. Education leaders and advocates are using them to push for state policy reforms aimed at better leveraging dollars to do more for students.

WHY THIS RESEARCH MATTERS

So much of state education advocacy is focused on ensuring states deploy sufficient dollars for schooling. But also critical is making sure those dollars then deliver value for students. Toward that end, Edunomics Lab’s NAEP truth bomb provided a reckoning of sorts. 

In some states like KY, LA, MS, TN, and WV money has indeed corresponded to improved outcomes for students. Students in these states saw real (even if modest) score gains alongside the massive federal investments in their schools. These states show how money can matter for students.

In contrast, AZ, CA, FL, MA, OR, and WA all continued to lose ground in both the key metrics of 4th grade reading and 8th grade math, even as investments grew. 

The fact that the 10-year trends are so different across states shows just how important the role of the state is in ensuring schooling investments deliver academic value for students.

This state-by-state ROI analysis armed advocates and leaders in several states with evidence that a reset was needed to ensure that investments are delivering more for students.

States like OR, WA, MT, KS and MO are now using the charts to press for policies (like accountability) designed to increase ROI.

And in states like MS, TN, and LA, the charts have helped leaders celebrate progress and stay the course. 

THREE ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS

1. States matter when it comes to ensuring schooling investments deliver academic value for students. Some states have work to do to better ensure that dollars deliver academic improvements for students. 
2. Funding is necessary but insufficient if the goal is improved reading and math scores. A range of state policies can help ensure that more funding does indeed correspond to better outcomes.
3. Compelling ROI graphs work well to engage leaders and the public around funding-adjacent policies like accountability.

HOW OTHER LEADERS INFORMED OR USED THIS RESEARCH

Below we detail the way the ROI graphs were used in selected states:

OR’s ROI graph:

• Discussed in OR’s legislative Joint Ways and Means Committee.
• Covered by local reporters.
• The result has been a decided shift in how OR’s Governor is approaching future investments away from “writing a blank check” and toward policies focused on student outcomes.

WA’s ROI graph:

• Presented to the governor’s policy director.
• Was part of a state-wide media briefing and with a coalition of business and philanthropic leaders (including PIE Network member Partnership for Learning) advocating for improved outcomes. 
• Featured in an op-ed by the Seattle Times editorial board to call for accountability for outcomes.
• Is part of a public awareness campaign during the FY26 WA budget planning calling for a needed pivot in education.
• Is fueling an effort to build capacity among district leaders during the FY27 budget season to inform an ROI mindset and strategic budgeting.

MT’s ROI graph:

• Was used to assemble 100 state and local leaders in order to incorporate ROI into their new state funding formula. 
• Covered in a related op-ed published by numerous outlets throughout the state.

KS’s ROI graph:

• Was used by PIE Network member, AlignEd, in hosting dozens of state/local leaders, to support strategic formula design and inform district budgeting. 
• PIE Network members School SmartKC and Forward Arkansas (using AR data) also participated. 
• We’ve been invited to present the graphs to the KS Education Funding Taskforce. 

Nationally, the graphs were featured in a Congressional hearing. 

Numerous leaders and advocates have shared the graphs in national/local media, newsletters/blogs (including The Education Daly, Fordham Gadfly, The Free Press, CRPE, 50CAN, Andy Plattner), webinars (EdSource), and social media (including Andy Rotherham, Dale Chu, Nina Rees, Derrell Bradford, TN Score, GACAN) to generate awareness and support to improve student outcomes and ROI in their locales.

UNDERSTANDING REACH AND IMPACT

Our assessment is that the ROI graphs have been the most impactful analysis Edunomics Lab has ever done. 

Impact includes media interest, feedback, and web traffic, advocates and leaders using our NAEP Truth Bomb insights and state graphs: 

• Press release was picked up in all 50 states and DC by more than 800 AP outlets. 
• State-specific stories published by outlets in 9 states: WA, OR, CA, OK, AL, IL, OH, MD, NJ, ME, including broadcast news in WA (KOMO 4 television) and OR (Jefferson Public Radio)
• ROI over time website landing page: 26,841 interactions (as of 7/8/2025) 
• Top 5 state webpages: WA (9,597) OR (8,611), OK (7,537), CA (3,150), TX (1,954) interactions (as of 7/8/2025)
• NAEP truth bomb: Some states see academic progress. Many do not. Our 1/29/25 newsletter has the highest readership of any Edunomics Lab newsletter since launch in 2020. Emailed to 8,475 newsletter subscribers, opened by 5,916 (72% open rate) with total opens 11,893, with multiple opens by individuals indicating lots of forwards.
• State graphs were HOT on Twitter, including WA, GA, CO, RI, WI, NY, OR, NH, AZ, PA, NJ, TN, NV, CA, MS, AK.
• Mentions of the analysis were seen on LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, and even NextDoor (!)
• Our analysis has been shared in blogs and newsletters including; PIE Network, Nellie Bowles The Free Press, CRPE, Fordham Gadfly, Tim Daly, Andy Plattner.

Opportunity 180

Network Policy Pillar: High Expectations, Responsive Systems  

Link: https://www.schoolscoutnevada.org/

SUMMARY

This research helps education stakeholders, such as parents, policymakers, school leaders, funders, and business leaders, to use data as a common language, so they can objectively power critical conversations and decision-making for student achievement and success.

WHY THIS RESEARCH MATTERS

School Scout NV is the central database of all publicly available public education data in Nevada, serving as an accessible “one stop shop” to families and decision-makers to advance data as a common language for student improvement. School Scout aims to increase data equity and data literacy in Nevada, supporting families to make informed decisions and have meaningful conversations regarding school performance and their students’ education. This focus on data equity and data literacy helps more families advocate for themselves and make informed decisions regarding their child’s education. 

The tool is also used to guide conversations with legislators and policymakers, as the data can be organized by district to show decision-makers how schools in their district perform, what policies would support greater outcomes, and provide context and nuance to specific data points and policy proposals. Potential school leaders looking to expand or open in Nevada use the data portal to inform placemaking decisions based on need, proximity to underperforming schools, and student needs.

School Scout aims to reduce disparities in data access. It is the only place school performance data is optimized for mobile access, the primary way in which under-resourced families access online information AND the only place that public school performance information is available in hand-translations to the three top languages spoken in Southern Nevada (English, Spanish, and Tagalog). While data appears in other locations, it is often difficult to find, does not offer context or effective instructions for use, and is not optimized for mobile devices – exacerbating existing inequities in data access and availability. The tool provides access, attainability, and resources to power conversations and decision-making with every education stakeholder, from parents to policymakers.

THREE ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS

1. Support student-centered conversations with transparent data: Families, educators and community leaders can use the portal’s clear, accessible design and language to other stakeholders in meaningful dialogue around academic performance, school climate, and improvement priorities. Examples of these conversations include parent-teacher conferences focused on student and school-specific performance data and using district-wide data to inform policy proposals about public school accountability.
2. Empower families and policymakers with access to school quality data: School Scout enables users to easily identify and compare public schools based on academic performance, student demographics, and special programs, while also surfacing where students lack access to high-performing schools. This dual utility helps families make informed choices and decision-makers target resources. It is also helpful for school leaders to inform where to locate their schools and target student demographics.
3. Strengthen community engagement with transparent, digestible data: The portal translates complex school performance data into easy-to-understand visuals and explanations, fostering more informed, inclusive, and objective conversations between families, school leaders, and advocates about what’s working and where improvement is needed. This engagement is critical to ensure that data is a common language that we, as education stakeholders in Nevada, can all use.

HOW OTHER LEADERS INFORMED OR USED THIS RESEARCH

School Scout Nevada, formerly the Great Schools All Kids data portal, was informed by some of the work of the Data Quality Campaign and PIE Network. As we looked at best practices in design, layout, and accessible data displays, we looked to PIE members for inspiration.

UNDERSTANDING REACH AND IMPACT

We employ several metrics for use, including click rate, number of engaged visits on site, and sign-ups for our associated newsletter, North Star News. Since launching, the site has seen about a 20% year-over-year hike on traffic and engaged visits, meaning that more people were spending more time engaging with the content on the site. We also saw a 3% increase in subscribers, and we maintain about a 50% open rate for the email newsletter (10-15% above industry average for nonprofits). 

During the legislative session, we also met with 30+ legislators with custom data reports to show academic performance in their district and use those as a springboard for conversations around policy priorities.

In FY2025, we will be activating a data equity analysis to examine what geographic areas, demographics, and populations are experiencing “data deserts”, and will launch a campaign with community partners and other stakeholders to bridge those gaps through data education, resources, and feedback on how to improve the data portal (and what features they’d like to see in future iterations).

Tennesseans for Student Success

Network Policy Pillar: Innovative Options, Responsive Systems  

Link: Quality Charter Review

SUMMARY

This tool helps proposed charter school operators improve their applications to meet or exceed state standards, including navigation of the application process and recommendations for application enhancements so that they can receive approval and support students through innovative schools.

WHY THIS RESEARCH MATTERS

The charter application process is a complicated system that can be challenging for new-start operators and applicants to navigate. The Quality Charter Review aims to support applicants by providing expert analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of applications and suggestions for improvement so that schools can best support students by receiving timely approval in order to open high-quality, innovative public schools for their communities.

THREE ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS

1. Nine charter applicants received a full report of their application’s initial status relative to state standards in their academic, operational, and financial application components. These reports were sent to operators with overall recommendations for improvement along with support services offered to each school.
2. Each Quality Charter Review Report was publicly posted by TSS to inform community awareness of local applications. The charter application process being cumbersome can lead to a lack of awareness of applications. Summarizing hundreds of pages of application to an 8-page report that is easily digestible supports stakeholder engagement and provides an opportunity for the public to understand the ways the schools could contribute to communities.
3. Four applicants made changes to their applications to better meet state standards in preparation for local review. These changes included increases in state-alignment in all three application areas: academic, operations, and finances. Additionally, each of these applicants partnered with TSS to bolster their applications with additional community engagement and outreach efforts. These efforts stemmed from the Quality Charter Review’s findings and led to strong amended applications.

HOW OTHER LEADERS INFORMED OR USED THIS RESEARCH

Within the coalition in Tennessee, many stakeholders were having conversations about the dense nature of applications and the cumbersome job of understanding and communicating quality. In order to better support operators and translate applications for broader use, TSS developed the Quality Charter Review and shared it with not only operators but with coalition partners including SCORE, Tennessee Charter School Center, Nashville Charter Collaborative, and the Nashville Incubator in order to ensure everyone was beginning from the same place of understanding of quality when engaging with potential operators. Each partner plays a significant role in supporting potential operators and opened schools, and having a succinct, aligned, quality report to begin from enables common language and understanding.

UNDERSTANDING REACH AND IMPACT

Impact has been measured in multiple ways, including number of schools reviewed, number of schools that incorporate recommendations, and number of school boards that receive and review the Quality Charter Review report. Additionally, we publicly post all reports on the TSS website and have measured the hits to the website.  Also, last year’s QCR had a 100% record in terms of predictability of final approvals and denials at the end of the process in October.

RESOURCES

Example Application Reviews:

• The Forge
• The Rock
• Jackson Museum School
• Dream Catchers
• Still I Rise

National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ)

Network Policy Pillar: Great Educators, Responsive Systems  

Link: Teacher Diversity Dashboard 

SUMMARY

This tool helps education advocates identify gaps in teacher diversity so they can show states and districts a clearer path to hiring more teachers of color and ultimately improving outcomes for students. 

Users can compare the racial makeup of their state’s teacher workforce to that of the working-age population and customize their analysis by selecting specific racial groups and different reference populations such as degree holders, all working-age adults, or students.

WHY THIS RESEARCH MATTERS

NCTQ’s dashboard reveals a troubling trend: The teacher workforce is diversifying more slowly than the population of college-educated adults. In the 1980s and early 90s, Black and Hispanic college graduates were more likely than their white and Asian peers to enter teaching, but today Black and brown college grads are increasingly choosing other professions—or leaving their teaching careers for something else. 

This matters because teachers of color improve academic, emotional, and behavioral outcomes for all students, especially students of color, who have long been disadvantaged in our nation’s schools. Yet far too many students never have a single teacher of color. 

The research is compelling:

• Teachers of color are more likely to have high expectations for students of color, create classrooms where kids feel like they belong, and serve as role models for students of color.
• Black students who had at least one Black elementary teacher are nearly 40% less likely to drop out of high school.
• Students of all races, particularly in upper-elementary grades, show stronger gains in reading and math when taught by a teacher of color.
• In a 2021 study of four major school districts, students of color taught by teachers of color in 4th or 5th grade experienced significant increases in math and reading—effects that persisted into high school. White students in the same study also showed modest but statistically significant gains in math, reading, and self-efficacy.

NCTQ’s Teacher Diversity Dashboard empowers education advocates and policymakers to spot and address diversity gaps in the teaching profession, which is an essential starting point for building a more effective and diverse teacher workforce.

THREE ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS

1. Track teacher diversity trends over time. Benchmark where efforts to diversify the workforce stand and set specific, data-driven goals for the future. By comparing the teacher workforce to adult populations—not just students—advocates can help education leaders set goals for representation that are realistic and achievable. Use the data to set specific, time-bound targets and monitor change over time.   
2. Spot success stories and scale what works. Surface state and national trends for individual or collective demographic groups. Identify where diversification efforts are paying off, then adapt those strategies to your own state.
3. Turn prep programs into engines for teacher diversity. See which teacher prep programs are leading toward a more diverse teacher workforce—and which are holding it back. Use the data to fuel policies and partnerships that help more aspiring teachers of color enter the teacher pipeline, complete their preparation program,  and earn their certification.

HOW OTHER LEADERS INFORMED OR USED THIS RESEARCH

PIE Network members were among our key advisors in the development of the Teacher Diversity Dashboard. The Center for Black Educator Development (CBED) was a crucial partner. During the development of the Dashboard, CBED leaders provided feedback on design and potential use cases. Sharif El-Mekki and Mimi Woldeyohannes McKee also contributed action steps and examples from CBED’s work that NCTQ included in the brief we published with the launch of the Dashboard. The NCTQ team also consulted with and received valuable feedback from leaders at PIE Member organizations including New America, TNTP, and The Education Trust during the design and development of the Dashboard. 

At launch, PIE Network members such as CBED, The Education Trust, and Public School Forum of North Carolina helped to promote the tool through their social media channels. In addition, NCTQ staff members have presented the tool to networks run by PIE Network members, including Teach Plus’s Teacher Policy Fellows and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Business Leader Fellows. We have also conducted briefings on the Dashboard for PIE Network members including BestNC, Public School Forum of North Carolina, specifically their Dudley Flood Center for Educational Equity & Opportunity. 

As is always the case, PIE Network members were instrumental in the development and launch of our Teacher Diversity Dashboard.

UNDERSTANDING REACH AND IMPACT

Since its launch, NCTQ’s Teacher Diversity Dashboard has generated strong national visibility and engagement. Within the first week, the dashboard and its related analysis earned more than 3,000 pageviews and 64 media hits across the country. Within three months, those numbers grew to nearly 5,000 pageviews and 136 media hits, reflecting widespread interest from media, advocates and policymakers alike. 

Major outlets including Newsweek , Texas Public Radio, and CNN used the dashboard data to spotlight the state of teacher diversity across the country. Texas Public Radio highlighted Texas as a rare example where the teacher workforce is more diverse than its population of college-educated adults, but acknowledged more work needed to reflect students. Newsweek used dashboard data to create a national map showing the most diverse teacher workforces, and later published a follow-up comparing Texas and California. CNN’s First of All with Victor Blackwell broadcast featured the dashboard’s findings on the disconnect between student and teacher demographics, inviting TNTP’s Tequilla Brownie—a fellow PIE Network member—to talk about efforts to diversify the teacher workforce.

The tool is also gaining traction with state and local education leaders. Policymakers in at least six states—Colorado, Indiana, Massachusetts, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Washington D.C., have all engaged directly with the report. 

Massachusetts Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler called the tool “enlightening.” Staff for Senator Stacey Donato in Indiana printed the report for legislative review. Leaders in Tennessee and Virginia praised it as an “important resource.”

By equipping decision-makers with state-specific, actionable data, the Teacher Diversity Dashboard is shaping conversations, influencing strategies, and helping leaders across the country take concrete steps to build a more representative teacher workforce, even in the face of political and cultural headwinds.

RESOURCES

• Teacher Diversity Dashboard: https://teacherdiversity.nctq.org/dashboard/ 
• Teacher Diversity Briefs: https://teacherdiversity.nctq.org/teacher-diversity-briefs/
• Teacher Diversity Policy Area Landing Page: https://www.nctq.org/policy-area/teacher-diversity/

TNTP

Network Policy Pillar: High Expectations  

Link: The Opportunity Makers

SUMMARY

The research and toolkit help state, district and school leaders understand the three core things that trajectory-changing public schools do well so they can promote policies and practices that create paths of opportunity for all young people.

WHY THIS RESEARCH MATTERS

How do we transform PK–12 education into the great equalizer that it could be for all young people in this country? According to our research, young people experiencing poverty are more likely to earn a living wage by age 30 and report high levels of well-being if they have strong academic outcomes in high school. But far too many students fall behind in school, and most students who fall behind stay behind. If we don’t transform student learning outcomes at scale, millions of young people may never catch up academically.   

We studied 28,000 elementary and middle schools where the average student was not yet on grade level. We found that the top five percent help students catch up by gaining more than 1.3 years of learning per academic year. Growing at this rate allows most students to catch up to grade level during their time in school. 

In three years, students gain a full extra year of learning—a potentially life-changing difference. Critically, these schools have maintained student academic growth over a decade. We call these schools “trajectory changing” because that’s exactly what they do.

Trajectory-changing schools are rare but replicable. What we found was not a silver-bullet solution, a perfect curriculum, or a single rock star leader. These three focus areas—belonging, consistency, and coherence—and the practices that sustain them can be applied in any school nationwide.

All young people deserve the chance to learn at or above grade level, no matter where they start. To make widespread improvement in PK–12 public education at scale, we need more than just school-by-school efforts; we need trajectory-changing school systems nationwide. Achieving that will require an intentional, focused effort to build belonging, consistency, and coherence into thousands of public schools. Stakeholders at every level—school-based educators, school system leaders, policymakers, families, and community members—must work together to accelerate student learning.

THREE ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS

1. Students who fall behind academically, do not have to stay behind. The Opportunity Makers profiles seven trajectory-changing schools where the average student was not yet on grade level and yet students gained more than 1.3 years of learning each school year for a decade. In our research for this report, we found nearly 1,300 public elementary and middle schools that generated the same learning gains for students over time.  
2. Staff, educators, and leaders in trajectory-changing schools share a commitment to doing three core things well. They create a culture of belonging, deliver consistent grade-level instruction, and build a coherent instructional program.
3. Schools should utilize an ongoing, multiyear improvement process to monitor progress and manage change that sustains improvements in belonging, consistency, and coherence. The Opportunity Makers Toolkit is built around a four-part improvement cycle that we observed in trajectory-changing school – (1) understand the student experience; (2) choose a focus area; (3) pick a catalyzing practice; and (4) measure progress and adapt.

HOW OTHER LEADERS INFORMED OR USED THIS RESEARCH

To identify trajectory-changing schools to study for this report, we used the Stanford Education Data Archive (SEDA 4.1). SEDA combines state testing data with the National Assessment of Educational Progress to compare scores from state tests on a common national scale. It provides test scores from 2008-18 in reading and math. It captures grades 3-8, so we focused our studies on elementary and middle schools. We sorted through 28,000 public elementary and middle schools in SEDA where the average student was not yet on grade level in either math or reading in their initial tested grade. We identified 1,300 “trajectory-changing” schools where students grew at least 1.3 relative grade levels per year. At this growth rate, compounded over time, a student who starts one year below grade level can catch up in three years. Then we selected a subset of trajectory-changing schools to study in depth. We cross-checked their student learning results to ensure that they were consistent across subgroups and over time. We selected seven schools serving elementary and middle school students in varied contexts—rural and urban, traditional public and charter—across the U.S. This report was shaped by voices of the students, educators, and leaders at these trajectory-changing public schools:

• C.E. Rose PreK-8 (Tucson, Arizona)
• Van Buskirk Elementary (Tucson, Arizona)
• South Sioux City Middle (South Sioux City, Nebraska)
• JC Kelly Elementary (Pharr, Texas)
• Trousdale County Elementary (Hartsville, Tennessee)
• Center City Public Charter Schools, Brightwood (Washington D.C.)
• New Heights Academy Charter (New York, New York)

UNDERSTANDING REACH AND IMPACT

The Opportunity Makers has 35,000 page views and has been downloaded 8,000 times. The Educator Toolkit has been viewed 13,000 times with more than 1,200 educators submitting the Baseline Assessment. The report has been shared with leaders from more than 25 State Education Agencies, including CCSSO’s Instructional Materials and Professional Development (IMPD) Network, the Tennessee State Board of Education, and Arizona State Board of Education. 

The report and the associated toolkits have informed work throughout the country, including HQIM implementation in California and Kansas and instructional coherence projects in Tennessee and Arizona. 

The Opportunity Makers garnered strong national and local media coverage. For example, in The Hechinger Report, Jill Barshay included this quote from Sean Reardon, a Stanford sociologist who was part of the team that developed the Stanford Education Data Archive (which TNTP used to identify trajectory-changing schools for this report): “There are many schools that are effective at helping students learn, even in high-poverty communities. The TNTP report uses our data to identify some of them and then digs in to understand what makes them particularly effective. This is exactly what we hoped people would do with the data.”

Media Coverage of The Opportunity Makers

• “How schools can help poor kids beat the odds: Consistency, collaboration, priorities” – Joanne Jacobs, Thinking and Linking blog (10/1/24) 
• “The habits of 7 highly effective schools” – Jill Barshay, The Hechinger Report (Sept. 30, 2024)
• Picked up by EdTech Update, Ground News, MindShift, Periódico HOY, Reading Rockets, RealClearEducation
• “Changing student life outcomes” – Roxanne Lambert, Hartsville Vidette (Sept. 28, 2024)
• “Know this for next week: How to create trajectory-changing schools” – Micah Ward, District Administration (Sept. 26, 2024)
• “A Recipe for Student Success Glosses Over a Key Ingredient” – Natalie Wexler, Minding the Gap Substack (Sept. 25, 2024)

RESOURCES

• The Opportunity Makers Toolkit: Resources to apply trajectory-changing practices in your school and community
• The Opportunity Makers Action Guide for State Policymakers

League of Education Voters

Network Policy Pillar: Responsive Systems  

Link: Underfunded. and Unsustainable

SUMMARY

This research helps state policymakers, state agencies, and district superintendents understand how student needs have evolved so that they can design (in collaboration with students, families, educators, and community-based organizations) a K-12 education funding system that meaningfully changes student experiences in the classroom across Washington state.

WHY THIS RESEARCH MATTERS

The complex and complicated funding formulas Washington state has created to fund K–12 education have created many points of misalignment between what is provided and what districts are spending to support their students. Specifically, participants in the project called out the level of funding the state provides for special education and school operating costs as insufficient, and they cited the overreliance on levy funding as a core component of our system that amplifies inequity because it is based on district property wealth.

Also, we discovered that districts feel under-resourced and under-supported as they have taken on a larger role in supporting the mental health needs of students and seen their scope of work expand to support a broader range of student needs. But as districts have tried to adjust to meet these needs, they have found there is a big gap between what the state provides and the depth of what students need. Behavioral health support was particularly top of mind because many will no longer be able to afford key staff people, like counselors, social workers, and mental health specialists after one-time federal funding runs out. More broadly, many noted that the lack of clearly defined responsibilities districts are expected to fulfill in addressing the youth mental health crisis creates inconsistent access to student mental health support across the state.

THREE ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS

1. As a state, we need to determine what our goals, values, and expectations are for K–12 education and ensure there is alignment between these priorities and how we resource our schools.
2. We need to acknowledge how the role of schools has changed in our communities and formalize these changes in our state approach to resourcing and supporting schools.
3. The funding shortfalls districts are experiencing and the resulting reduction in behavioral and mental health support for students have the potential to grow the school-to-prison pipeline and cause more trauma among students and staff. State-level action is needed to provide districts with additional resources to prevent the harmful impact the elimination of these critical supports will have on students, especially students from historically marginalized communities.

HOW OTHER LEADERS INFORMED OR USED THIS RESEARCH

We sought out the insights of district superintendents and finance professionals, whose expertise and familiarity with the technical aspects of school resourcing offered an important perspective on what is working with our funding system, what is lacking, and why. Specifically, we wanted to understand their perspectives on which aspects of the funding system contribute most to these harsh financial realities and how these issues impact their ability to meet students’ needs.

During the 2023–-2024 school year, we talked to superintendents from 28 school districts across Washington who were selected to represent the diversity of school districts across Washington state. Districts were selected based on racial diversity, enrollment of English language learners, district enrollment, geographic location, and percentage of students receiving special education services.

UNDERSTANDING REACH AND IMPACT

Underfunded and Unsustainable: An In-Depth Look at the School Funding Crisis in Washington and Its Impact on School Communities has been widely cited by policymakers, educators, state agency staff, community-based organizations, and statewide media since its release in August 2024. It has inspired the creation of a statewide education funding workgroup (passed in the 2025 legislative session) led by the Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction that will continue for the next 2 1/2 years, as well as multiple coalitions working to reimagine Washington’s K-12 public education system.

In addition, this report has become the backbone of LEV’s work for at least the next 5-7 years and is the primary content for LEV’s new strategic plan, which will be completed this fall.

Educators for Excellence

Network Policy Pillar: Great Educators, Responsive Systems  

Links:

• Voices from the Classroom 2025 
• Voices from the Classroom 2025 Central Takeaways
• Representative Jahana Hayes’ Teacher Appreciation Week Resolution

SUMMARY

This research helps education advocates and policymakers understand teachers’ current perspectives on a wide range of pressing education issues and in what ways they wish to see the profession reimagined so they can make or pursue policy changes reflective of what teachers and students truly need. 

WHY THIS RESEARCH MATTERS

Too often, teachers’ perspectives are overlooked—or, in some cases, blatantly ignored—in education policy decisions. This leads to policy solutions disconnected from the reality of the 21st-century American classroom and the needs of students. Educators for Excellence’s annual Voices from the Classroom nationally representative survey of 1,000 teachers works to eliminate this gap by delivering actionable takeaways from teachers directly into the hands of advocates and policymakers, allowing them to pursue teacher-informed and student-centered change. An additional oversample of 300 teachers of color—and, for the first time in 2025, of Gen Z teachers—provides direct insight into what these specific populations of teachers want and need and how that might differ from the general population of teachers. 

This year, as we went out into the field immediately following the 2024 General Election, Voices from the Classroom 2025 asked questions specific to likely federal policy changes, ultimately providing invaluable and timely data for federal policymakers and advocates in the first 100 days of the Trump administration. Questions like “Do you favor or oppose the guaranteed right of undocumented students to attend public school?” and “Do you favor or oppose protections for students against discrimination based on gender and sexual identity?” gave real-time insight into teachers’ perspectives on the issues being debated and legislated in Congress—and statehouses nationwide—in early 2025. Additionally, when the administration proposed closing the U.S. Department of Education, we immediately conducted a follow-up survey on the issue, quickly delivering to the field real-time data revealing that teachers opposed the move. 

Understanding where teachers stand on such issues ultimately helps advocates call for and decision-makers build the conditions for district, school, and classroom environments that foster academic opportunity and achievement.

THREE ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS

1. Teachers across the political spectrum reject the Trump administration’s education agenda, with as much as 88% of Republican teachers opposing some of his core policy stances. These results tell us that this is a matter not of politics but of good—or bad—policy, allowing advocates to stand firmly in opposition to President Trump’s policymaking not because of his political ideology, but because his policies harm students, teachers, and the future of public education. 
2. Only 16% of all teachers, and 18% of Republican teachers, support using federal taxpayer dollars to fund private schools. This data point drove advocacy against a federal private school voucher program that would do exactly that. Though the program ultimately passed, it was made optional for states rather than required, and the individual contributor limit was significantly decreased, thus likely decreasing the amount of money spent on it.
3. Teacher interest in innovation—like artificial intelligence (AI) and strategic staffing—grew significantly between 2024 and 2025. The percentage of teachers reporting AI could transform teaching and learning doubled, and the percentage of teachers who favor team-teaching increased from 50% to 64%. This tells us that teachers are ready to see their classrooms evolve alongside the rest of the world, and provides fodder for advocates and policymakers to pursue reimagination.

HOW OTHER LEADERS INFORMED OR USED THIS RESEARCH

This year, we were most excited to see Connecticut Congresswoman Jahana Hayes leverage our teacher survey data in her 2025 Teacher Appreciation Week resolution, highlighting the gap between what teachers want and the Trump administration’s policymaking and calling on fellow legislators to engage directly with teachers to ensure their voices are reflected in decisionmaking. Though the resolution did not pass—as was expected—it secured 35 co-sponsors and contributed to the conversation around the need to better incorporate teacher expertise in policymaking. 

Additionally, a coalition of PIE Network members that included Educators for Excellence, National Parents Union, All4Ed, Education Trust, and the National Center for Learning Disabilities used the data to collectively oppose reconciliation legislation that contained provisions squarely misaligned with the survey’s results. Teacher polling data related to support for Public Service Loan Forgiveness and opposition to private school vouchers were used in briefs, at rallies, and in meetings with legislators to show why the bill would be bad for teachers and students alike. Beyond that, at least 15 unique education organizations have cited data from Voices from the Classroom 2025 at least 25 times across newsletters, social media posts, presentations, and more. 

Finally, PIE Network members were deeply involved in creating the 2025 survey questionnaire. Seventeen organizations, including five PIE Network members, provided input to shape it, helping us ensure it captured data that would be useful for the field.

UNDERSTANDING REACH AND IMPACT

• The 2025 survey webpage has secured 9,918 webviews since launching in May and the full report 680 downloads.
• 2025 survey data has been cited in nine media pieces.
• 2025 survey data was hand-delivered to all 100 Senators.