CAP’s Education Department aims to change America’s approach to early childhood, K-12 education, higher education, and lifelong learning by ensuring equitable access to resources, developing community-centered policies, and promoting the ability to participate fully in an inclusive economy built on a strong democracy.
Students walk to their classrooms at a public middle school in Los Angeles, California, September 10, 2021. (Getty/Robyn Beck/AFP)
CAP has identified a series of proposals, including a grant program that would increase recruitment and retention of highly qualified educators in schools with the highest teacher turnover, helping ensure equitable access to great teaching in school districts across the country.
Provide access to quality, affordable child care
CAP has helped shape key child care and preschool policy proposals, many of which are included in the Biden administration’s Build Back Better agenda, and furthered the understanding of child care research, including cost of care, child care deserts, family spending, and workforce participation.
Education Policies Need To Address the Unique Needs of Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities
The Center for American Progress is conducting new research that uplifts the lived experiences in public education of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. This research will advance CAP’s ongoing work to apply an explicit racial equity lens to K-12 education policymaking.
Understanding the Opportunities and Challenges of Charter Management Contracts for Public Schools
A review of the common failures of contracts between management companies and the charter schools they oversee suggests some changes could help protect both students and taxpayer money.
These state fact sheets provide data on access to affordable child care for families, compensation for child care providers, and economic benefits of increased public investment in early learning.
The Build Back Better Act Substantially Expands Child Care Assistance
The Build Back Better Act ensures child care assistance for 16 times as many young children as under current law, and in some states, it would help state child care agencies reach more than 25 times as many children and their families.
How Educators, Students, and Families Would Spend Additional K-12 Education Funding
Educators, students, and family members discuss the important investments they would make to improve the educational experience if they had additional education funding.
