Globally, the K-12 education system in the United States stands out because of its universal access and affordability. Despite the varying options available to families, such as private schools, homeschooling, and charter schools, traditional public schools continue to serve the majority (83 percent) of all America’s students.1 Therefore, the United States must continue to transform the public K-12 system to meet the demands of a changing world.
This can and should be done by improving teacher compensation, development, and retention, as well as by modernizing the school facilities in which they teach. Transforming the K-12 system also will require policymakers to address artificial intelligence’s (AI) place in the classroom and expand wraparound support services for students’ health and well-being in their schools and their communities. To prepare secondary students to enter and thrive in the digital age, the K-12 system also needs to expand high-quality college and career pathways. All these reforms will require increased investments for public education. To build upon the benefits and value of the public education system while addressing its challenges, the United States must continue to invest in students, families, and educators.
This chapter outlines the following six policy proposals to increase opportunities for educators and students alike in K-12 schools and to support their belonging and safety in the public education system:
- Support a well-prepared, valued, and skilled educator workforce.
- Modernize school facilities.
- Establish federal policy to ensure equitable, accessible and ethical use of AI.
- Support family, school, and community partnerships and the use of whole child approaches.
- Strengthen and expand college and career pathways.
- Provide adequate and equitable funding and staffing structures for students.
Successfully addressing and implementing these proposals will help advance the nation’s global competitiveness and promote a strong democratic nation of educated citizens. This chapter of the Center for American Progress report “A Progressive Vision for Education in the 21st Century” examines these six proposals in detail.
Proposal 1: Support a well-prepared, valued, and skilled educator workforce
Knowledgeable and skilled teachers are essential to increasing students’ opportunities to learn,2 yet there’s a scarcity of educators. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 86 percent of K-12 public schools reported challenges hiring teachers during the 2023-24 school year, with key barriers being fewer candidates applying for vacancies and a lack of qualified applicants.3
Teacher perceptions of the field also remain at an all-time low.4 A new report found that nearly 77 percent of teachers say they are likely to stay in the field—a decrease from 86 percent in 2022.5 Moreover, only 16 percent of teachers expressed that they would recommend the profession to others.6 These challenges can be met and overcome if policymakers enhance educators’ compensation, development, and retention; rethink school staffing structures; and advance educators’ preparations by expanding existing federal programs.
Enhance educators’ compensation, development, and retention
Educator compensation
Research suggests two main reasons for the high teacher vacancies: low pay and unfavorable working conditions.7 The 2022-23 average national teacher salary was $69,544.8 While this amount grew by 4.1 percent from the previous year, according to the National Education Association, when adjusted for inflation, teachers are being paid 5 percent less than they were 10 years ago.9
For novice teachers, the starting salary is $44,530,10 an amount that is less than the average salary ($65,470) across all professions in all 50 states.11 During the 2022–2023 legislative cycle, at least 22 states introduced or passed legislation to increase teacher salaries.12 With working conditions also being a primary factor,13 state education leaders and policymakers must continue to explore opportunities to improve working conditions, expand paid parental leave for teachers who wish to have a family, and increase teacher pay to reflect various forms of compensation, including increases to base salaries, access to affordable housing,14 expansion of loan forgiveness and service scholarships, and financial stipends for teacher candidates in training.15
More state legislatures should enact policies that increase teacher pay to recognize their value. Congress can also play a role by establishing a minimum salary for public school teachers and providing resources and support to states to achieve this goal. Strengthening district compensation systems for teachers and school leaders by expanding the Teacher and School Leader Incentive grant program is another strategy to implement competitive compensation and human capital management systems.16
Educator development and retention
Retaining educators will require proposals to not just increase compensation but also invest in their personal and professional development. This will involve improving professional learning opportunities for teachers so that these activities are effective and relevant to their roles17 and promote deeper learning.18 According to a Rand research study, less than 15 percent of teachers revealed that their professional activities provided to a “large extent” access to expertise in subject area content or instructional materials.19 Teachers who reported more access to subject matter expertise in these activities were more likely to find professional learning to be beneficial to teaching and student learning. Teachers also have expressed that professional development lacks collaboration and that they want to collaborate more with their colleagues on meeting the needs of students with disabilities and English-language learners.20
Retaining educators will require proposals to not just increase compensation but also invest in their personal and professional development.
With growing concerns about declining reading scores and debates about the science of reading,21 education leaders and policymakers should support updating research on effective literacy instruction and programs to inform high-quality professional development for teachers. Moreover, local districts should partner with institutions of higher education to support teachers in obtaining reading endorsements. Reading endorsements are state-approved credentials earned by reading specialists and teachers to demonstrate that they have completed coursework and/or training in reading instruction and intervention.22
When it comes to solutions to retain teachers, there should be enhanced strategies to support their development. One strategy is refocusing how Title II, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act funds are used by strengthening the Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants program.23 These grants ensure that professional development is high-quality and equity-centered and that providers who are contracted through the local districts possess subject matter expertise to help teachers improve their instructional practice.24
Novice teachers, who are more likely to leave the field within their first two years of teaching, also need robust support to become highly effective educators.25 States education agencies should establish induction programs that provide individualized mentorship and targeted coaching to help new teachers acclimate to their roles.26
Reducing factors that contribute to educator burnout is also a necessary strategy to promote retention.27 The American Federation of Teachers has invested in an initiative to prioritize educator well-being by launching a professional development program that offers sessions and strategies in mindfulness, time management, financial well-being, boundaries, and relationship-building.28 These strategies are applicable to educators’ personal and professional development and have allowed them to enhance their collaboration with colleagues, improve student outcomes, and retain them in the profession. This initiative should be further studied and scaled.
Rethink school staffing structure
Since its inception, public education has evolved, including advances in technology and shifts in student demographics to a majority-minority population. Yet one aspect of the public education system that has not changed is the one-classroom, one-teacher model.
Classrooms current organizational structure—with a single teacher for a classroom of students—places sole responsibility on a teacher for overseeing instruction, behavior, and time management. Not to mention, in many instances, teachers are unable to take a physical or mental break during class time because they lack coverage when they are the only adult in the classroom.29
The one-teacher, one-classroom model has become an inadequate one-size-fits-all approach. This model presents challenges not only to the overall well-being of teachers, but also to instructional approaches such as blended and personalized learning.30 It also hinders support for novice teachers while limiting advancement pathways for experienced teachers to mentor, collaborate, and lead as veteran educators.31
The one-teacher, one-classroom model has become an inadequate one-size-fits-all approach.
Efforts to reimagine the teaching role have centered teacher voices to identify their needs and opportunities to reform school staffing.32 The U.S. Department of Education should establish competitive grant programs that would support states to develop new policies and create district incentives to test and implement teaming structures;33 establish partnerships to reorganize staffing; and collect data based on identified metrics of success to evaluate the short-term and long-term impact of these changes on teacher effectiveness and student outcomes.
Any redesign of school staffing should promote planning and collaboration between teachers and support staff, such as instructional specialists and school-based behavioral health providers, to ensure there’s a coordinated plan to meet the academic and social-emotional needs of students. Redesigning school staffing and adopting teaming structures also offers a unique opportunity for districts to pursue differentiated compensation for leadership pathways to retain master teachers who assume additional responsibilities in their roles.
Reimagining the teaching role also will require superintendents and district leaders to have the flexibility to make these changes. State governors, legislatures, and boards of education must seek to empower these leaders to adopt staffing changes that address state, district, and local needs.
Advance educators’ preparation by expanding existing federal programs
The United States can also utilize several key programs already in existence to support educators. Expanding programs such as the Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) program and the Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) program to attract and prepare teachers must be prioritized.34 These programs reduce financial and other barriers for individuals wanting to become teachers and ensure that the nation produces high-quality educators for the profession. These two programs support comprehensive training to prospective teachers, leading to initial licensure and certification. Most importantly, they’re community-centered and support partnerships between institutions of higher education, local education agencies, and community-based organizations; this program structure ensures that the cadre of professionals being prepared are meeting the needs of local communities. They also fulfill a dire need to prepare teachers in critical shortage areas such as bilingual education, special education, and the STEM disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
In addition to expanding TQP and SEED programs to prepare more qualified teachers for the profession, there should be an accompanying and increased emphasis on preparing more noninstructional staff, such as paraprofessionals, behavioral specialists, and school psychologists. About 83 percent of U.S. schools have reported challenges with hiring for nonteacher positions.35
Research shows that having a teacher of color has a positive impact on all students.36 For example, Black students who have a Black teacher in kindergarten through third grade are 13 percent more likely to graduate high school and 19 percent more likely to enroll in college compared with their peers who were not taught by a Black teacher.37 Despite this evidence, 80 percent of U.S. teachers are white.38 Congress must expand the Augustus F. Hawkins Center of Excellence Program, which was authorized in 2008 but went unfunded until fiscal year 2022.39 This program supports historically Black colleges and universities, Tribal colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, and minority-serving institutions to scale efforts to prepare quality diverse teachers who reflect the racial, ethnic, and linguistic diversity of the nation’s K-12 students—55 percent40 of whom are students of color.41
The average cost for an undergraduate degree in the United States, including tuition, books, supplies, and living expenses, is $38,270 annually.42 College costs have more than doubled in the 21st century.43 With rising costs of a postsecondary education, future policy proposals must seek to make obtaining a teaching degree more affordable. One strategy is to establish new or strengthen existing state and federal grants and scholarship programs, including the TEACH grant.44 There should be continued efforts to increase the TEACH grant award amount, which is currently $4,000 per year.
To ensure that school districts have access to quality teachers to fill vacancies, policymakers must explore how the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) can advance data collection on educator demand, preparation, and program effectiveness.45 New and improved data systems are needed to facilitate communications between district, state, and national databases that can pinpoint needs and gaps related to supply, demand, and educator satisfaction in real time. Data on number of vacancies, in-demand disciplines and subjects, diversity of educators relative to student population, and working conditions of teachers, as well as other factors that contribute to attrition, are important to creating policies that produce a strong educator workforce.46 The IES, in partnership with state education leaders, can play a leading role in establishing a national educator workforce database that communicates with state and local data systems.
Proposal 2: Modernize school facilities
Modernized school facilities contribute to high-quality learning environments that can foster belonging and support positive learning outcomes.47 The nation’s K-12 school facilities are in need of infrastructure improvements. The dilapidated conditions of public schools have been well-documented,48 and these conditions, including poorly ventilated buildings, are causing health risks for students amid the rise in extreme heat conditions.49
Thirty-eight percent of school buildings were built before 1970, and the average public school facility is 49 years old.50 State and federal lawmakers must play a supportive role to ensure that children are taught in healthy, energy-efficient, and modern environments that are able to withstand the effects of climate change. Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, a Center for American Progress report posited that tens of thousands of public schools will require energy-efficient heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems installed or upgraded by 2025, which would amount to more than $4.4 billion nationally.51
Recent investments by the Biden-Harris administration have supported new grants under the Supporting America’s School Infrastructure program, providing $37 million over five years.52 The administration has also set aside $10 million over five years for the National Center on School Infrastructure program.53 This funding is a step in the right direction, but there’s still a resource lag that needs to be addressed as conditions worsen and extreme heat becomes more severe.
Recent proposals, such as the Rebuild America’s Schools Act,54 would support funding to states and districts for new construction, renovations, and modernization projects. Future investments also should expand programs to provide support to states to complete clean energy upgrades in schools, leading to improved indoor air quality and lower energy costs.55 Improving school infrastructure benefits communities. Schools are an extension of the communities in which they’re situated and can be used as community centers year-round, reducing social and community isolation.
Proposal 3: Ensure equitable, accessible, and ethical use of AI and education technologies
Recent advances in AI and technology present new opportunities to strengthen the nation’s education system and future workforce while also requiring healthy skepticism on the part of policymakers.56 A 2024 national survey of U.S. educators found that many teachers expressed “a mix of curiosity and hesitancy about the use of artificial intelligence in the classroom.”57 More than one-third of teachers believe that AI has potential to support their instruction and capacity, but also have concerns about its use.58
Nearly two-thirds of teachers want more training on how to apply AI in their roles as a support in lesson planning and differentiated instruction.59 These perceptions signal the need for policies and regulations at both the federal and state levels to govern the use of AI. State education agencies must also provide educators’ access to AI tools to encourage innovation and training to ensure they can responsibly use and integrate these tools in the classroom.
Establish federal and state policies to govern safe AI use in education
Before educators can integrate new digital tools in teaching and learning, however, policymakers must first develop ways to govern the effective and safe use of these technologies in K-12 education. To be sure, the U.S. Department of Education has issued guidance on AI in education,60 but there is no federal policy in place.
Before educators can integrate new digital tools in teaching and learning, however, policymakers must first develop ways to govern the use of these technologies in K-12 education.
However, states can enact their own policies that set standards for AI development and use across industries, such as in California, the epicenter of technology innovation, where the Legislature has passed several AI regulation bills61—some of which aims to protect privacy data of children.62 At the federal level, Congress must pass bipartisan legislation to enhance data privacy in cybersecurity as it relates to AI use in schools and support legislation that increases AI literacy, such as the Literacy in Future Technologies and Artificial Intelligence (LIFT AI) Act, to improve AI literacy for K-12 educators, students, principals, and school leaders.63
Eliminate barriers to digital literacy, equity, and access
Students in remote rural communities lack access to broadband and high-speed internet to use digital tools, including new AI technologies, causing a digital divide between them and their peers in urban, suburban, and exurban schools.64 In May 2023, Congress established a bipartisan working group to evaluate the Federal Communications Commission’s Universal Service Fund, which subsidizes broadband delivery in rural areas, and improve connectivity in remote regions.65 Congress should continue to increase its support for rural education programs to ensure that these communities have the resources and connectivity they need to access instruction and digital literacy skills as technology evolves.66
As technology innovation advances, policymakers must remain steadfast in their commitment to expand digital literacy, equity, and access, while ensuring that ethical considerations are not overlooked.
The U.S. Department of Education should support the creation of ethical principles for AI development to ensure that developers, product tech equity, and trust and safety teams are determining limitations of AI development based on what is ethical as determined by educators and child development experts, not based on the perspectives of developers. These ethical principles must also address bias and cultural sensitivity and require developers to eliminate bias in their development of products; this has raised concerns in some states, such as Texas, where students’ standardized assessments will be graded by an AI service.67
While the Department of Education’s recent guidebook of recommendations for developers is a commendable move,68 there must be steps taken to ensure developers are being accountable to these recommendations. This could be accomplished through a national task force or state-level counterparts. To ensure proper support to states and districts on the front of technology integration and advancements, the Department of Education should explore establishing a national technical assistance center for educational technology research and digital equity.
The rapid growth of technology is shaping the world around us, and students with disabilities must be supported to develop digital literacy skills to thrive in the future. This will require districts to prioritize digital accessibility for these students to access and use technology in meaningful ways. Digital accessibility includes when websites and technologies are designed and developed in a way in which individuals with any disabilities can use them.69 To prepare students with disabilities for future success, school districts should engage accessibility experts to comply with the recent American with Disabilities Act (ADA) rule on digital accessibility.70 The new rule requires school districts to make all websites and mobile apps, including learner management systems and digital instructional materials, accessible to students with disabilities. Conformance to the new rule will enable compatibility of all technologies, including AI, with assistive technology devices that are used to support students with disabilities. As districts strive to bolster support for digital literacy and accessibility, they should also prioritize making STEM subjects and experiences more accessible to all students, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds.71
Proposal 4: Support the use of whole-child approaches to education
Students’ mental health worsened in recent years during the pandemic, affecting their academic performances and their schools’ climate and safety. In 2022, 69 percent of public schools reported an increase in mental health concerns among their students, with more students requesting mental health services at schools since the pandemic.72 Seventy-six percent of teachers have also expressed concerns about the mental health of students due to observable symptoms of trauma, depression, and anxiety.73
Yet there’s a scarcity of school-based mental health professionals.74 About 67 percent of public schools nationwide have at least one full- or part-time psychologist, and only about 42 percent have at least one full- or part-time social worker to address these needs.75
Addressing these challenges calls for a systemwide adoption of whole-child approaches that enable all children to flourish in their academics and social-emotional development. As such, state and local education agency leaders and policymakers should expand support for school-community partnerships that provide mental and behavioral health services in schools, as well as training for educators on social-emotional learning and other approaches that promote safety, inclusion, and belonging.76
One strategy to achieving this is to pass federal legislation such as the Full-Service Community School Expansion Act,77 which has been endorsed by teacher unions, the National Education Association, and the American Federation of Teachers.78 This proposed legislation provides funding to schools on a competitive basis to offer school-based and out-of-school supports to increase student well-being and to address barriers to learning. These supports also are critical to addressing family risk factors that affect student mental health and academic experience, ranging from parental substance abuse to housing instability.79
The 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 3 percent of high school students experienced unstable housing, with the highest rates among students of color and LGBTQ+ students, making them more likely to experience poorer mental health outcomes, including suicide.80 Wraparound support, coupled with authentic and equitable family and community engagement, can help to address family risk factors and reduce the harmful effects on students.81
Research also suggests that a healthy diet is critical to school success and improves students’ memory, emotional stability, and social skills.82 Yet childhood hunger is on the rise, with 1 in 5 children, or more than 13 million, experiencing food insecurity in 2022 due to lack of food in their homes—an increase from the previous year.83 While the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which is a key component of the Farm Bill,84 is important to providing food aid to families, transforming the school meal program is also critical.
To deal with these policy roadblocks and ensure that no child experiences hunger, Congress should expand the National School Lunch Program. This federally assisted meal program most recently served lunches to more than 4.8 billion children in public and private schools, as well as in child care facilities.85 Any efforts to expand the program should include offering free school meals to all public school students, regardless of whether a school meets the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s so-called community eligibility provision for free school meals.
Proposal 5: Strengthen and expand high-quality college and career pathways
According to the Community College Research Center, 88 percent of dual-enrollment students—those who enroll in postsecondary education classes while still in high school—go on to attend college after high school,86 strengthening the nation’s production of a college-educated workforce. Dual enrollment of high school students has skyrocketed in recent years, with a 10 percent increase between 2021 and 2024.87
More students are pursuing college courses while in high school than ever before, and high schoolers are thinking about their career and college trajectories sooner.88 To encourage more young people to pursue college and career pathways, school and district leaders must continue to develop partnerships between secondary schools and postsecondary institutions, including community colleges.
One way to expand access to dual enrollment is increasing the number of high school teachers who are credentialed to teach postsecondary courses. Supporting career-connected high school programs, and other programs that provide work-based learning opportunities and career and technical education, is necessary for equipping today’s students with skills for jobs that will be in demand in the future.89 These programs are critical to advancing college and career readiness for all students, particularly first-generation and low-income students.90
Moreover, the U.S. Department of Labor should support and expand state efforts to evaluate the effectiveness of career and technical education programs under Perkins V, also known as the Technical Education for the 2st Century Act of 2018.91 Doing so would ensure these programs are high-quality and lead to more young adults receiving industry credentials. State education leaders also must expand career academies within high schools based on the needs of their local and regional economies to provide training and facilitate work-based learning opportunities for students,92 including dual-enrollment programs in teacher education.93
State and federally funded apprenticeship programs also provide a unique opportunity for young adults to pursue career training while getting paid. In recent years, the Department of Labor has approved teacher registered apprenticeship programs to prepare future teachers for the workforce.94 Between fiscal years 2022 and 2023, education apprentices doubled, rising to 7,450 apprentices in the industry from approximately 3,000 the previous year.95
While teacher apprenticeships are a promising grow-your-own model for preparing educators from local communities, it’s critical that these programs maintain partnerships with local higher education institutions to ensure rigorous and comprehensive preparation and that apprentices earn initial licensure and certification upon completing their programs. The Department of Labor, in collaboration with state apprenticeship agencies, must develop and implement robust and comprehensive evaluation systems to measure the quality and impact of these programs.96
Increasing college readiness among secondary students also will require resources to expand access to advanced placement courses and higher-level courses in math and science, such as algebra and physics, that are required for college-bound majors in the STEM disciplines97 that are driving technological advancements and in which students of color are underrepresented.98 The College Board has acknowledged equity gaps in access to and exam participation in advanced placement courses among underserved minority and low-income students.99 Enrollment in these courses is often informed by teacher referral and scores on standardized tests.
Policymakers and school district leaders should allocate more resources to expand the availability of international baccalaureate and advanced placement courses in low-income schools and schools serving a high percentage of students of color. They also should explore policies and other strategies to increase underrepresented students’ participation in these courses.
Proposal 6: Provide adequate and equitable student funding
Adequate funding is essential for improving academic outcomes for students. The difficulty in doing so, however, is part and parcel of the opaque and complex school finance system in the United States. More than 51 different formulas, rules, and regulations across states determine district funding,100 with some states using formulas that calculate per-pupil funding based on enrollment numbers and staffing ratios,101 while a few others rely on student factors such as poverty, English-language proficiency, and learning needs.
Since public schools are mainly funded by state and local tax revenues, and heavily influenced by property taxes, the amount spent on schools depends on both funding formulas and local revenue generation. The overreliance on local revenue generation often exacerbates inequities, as districts with fewer resources struggle to raise sufficient funds, leading to significant disparities in educational quality.102 Funding shortfalls disproportionately affect African American students, who are twice as likely as their white peers to attend schools in inadequately funded districts and 3 1/2 times more likely to be in “chronically underfunded” areas.103
Adopt and incentivize student-weighted funding formulas
To provide a future-ready education to K-12 students, the U.S. school finance system requires transformation. This includes increasing federal resources in K-12 education, which has slightly declined over the past 20 years when adjusted for inflation, peaking only during the aftermath of the Great Recession in 2009 and during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.104 States should adopt per-pupil student-weighted funding models that prioritize the specific needs of students, including but not be limited to: family income, home language, disability, locality, and learning needs. Several states are examining their funding formulas to close equity gaps by prioritizing students’ needs, including Mississippi, Maryland, and Colorado.
To provide a future-ready education to K-12 students, the U.S. school finance system requires transformation.
In 2023, for example, the Colorado Legislature established a Public School Finance Task Force to review and recommend changes to the state’s school finance formula.105 The goal was to create a funding system that is simpler, less regressive, more understandable, transparent, equitable, and centered on student needs. The task force proposed significant reforms, including adopting a student-weighted funding model that prioritizes student factors in resource allocation.106
Key recommendations included raising the base per-pupil funding amount, increasing weights for English-language learners and “at-risk” students, updating the cost-of-living factor every two years, and considering additional factors such as business costs and staff recruitment and retention. Colorado’s task force also suggested incorporating weights for remoteness based on a district’s distance from urban areas, as classified by the National Center for Education Statistics.107
Similarly, the state of Maryland, through its Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, also introduced a plan to increase its per-pupil funding based on a student-weighted model to close educational equity gaps.108 In Mississippi, the Legislature recently passed new legislation109 supporting a revised education funding formula that provides additional funding for student factors, including income status, language, disability, and enrollment in gifted programs.110 The bill also includes an inflation adjustment provision to allow funding levels to be reassessed and increased based on inflation. Mississippi, Colorado, and Maryland represent transformative examples of states centering students’ needs to put them on a path to success.
More state legislatures should embark on revising their school finance formula to a student-weighted model that prioritizes student factors, which has been supported by advocates in the field.111 Most parents also express support for increased funding for students with greater learning needs, especially as these needs have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.112
Conclusion
The future of U.S. K-12 education holds great promise. The nation has the capacity to ensure every student is taught by skilled, credentialed educators. It is both a moral and civic duty of federal and state governments to guarantee that a high-quality, free public education is accessible to all children. To realize this vision, the country must adopt school finance models that center student needs; invest in programs that attract, train, and retain diverse and highly qualified teachers; and ensure that teaching degrees are affordable while providing fair compensation and improved working conditions.
As research and technologies advance, the nation needs to continuously innovate its teaching methods and learning environments. To inspire a lifelong passion for learning in students, policymakers should reimagine teaching roles and classroom structures to support personalized learning and greater engagement. Immediate action is required to develop energy-efficient, modern school facilities to replace outdated structures and create healthy, stimulating learning environments.
Upholding education as a universal human right means staying ahead of AI and emerging technologies that are shaping the future. The prospects for K-12 education are indeed bright, and with transformative efforts, we can build a future where every student can achieve their full potential.