Education

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)

Teams

What We're Doing

Provide access to high-quality, affordable early childhood education

CAP has helped shape key early care and learning proposals, including affordable child care and universal preschool, while furthering the understanding of the early childhood landscape, including analysis around child care deserts, federal investments, and state actions.

Protect and strengthen public education

A strong public education system is essential to U.S. democracy and is the most accessible path to economic opportunity. CAP stands against the privatization of public schools, champions federal programs such as Title I that deliver vital resources to low-income students, and advances policies that strengthen public education. This includes the development of policy recommendations to advance technology integration, improve federal programs that support high-quality learning, and modernize school staffing and infrastructure to better serve all students.

Advocate for investments in higher education and affordable, high-quality postsecondary pathways for all

CAP advances forward-looking proposals to advocate for the value of education, improve higher education affordability, ensure high-quality standards and strong protections for postsecondary students and student loan borrowers, and equitably fund minority-serving institutions and community colleges.”

Prepare and connect students and workers to good jobs

CAP is reimagining the U.S. workforce development system to prepare and train the next generation of students and workers for a better future.

Featured Experts

Veronica
Goodman

Senior Director, Workforce Development Policy

Hailey
Gibbs

Associate Director, Early Childhood Policy

Jared C.
Bass

Senior Vice President, Education

Casey
Peeks

Senior Director, Early Childhood Policy

Sara
Partridge

Associate Director of Higher Education

Paige
Shoemaker DeMio

Senior Policy Analyst, K-12 Education

Weadé
James

Senior Director, K-12 Education Policy

Madison
Weiss

Senior Policy Analyst, Higher Education

All Members

Zoë
Baird

Senior Fellow

Weadé
James

Senior Director, K-12 Education Policy

Veronica
Goodman

Senior Director, Workforce Development Policy

Casey
Peeks

Senior Director, Early Childhood Policy

Paige
Shoemaker DeMio

Senior Policy Analyst, K-12 Education

Sara
Partridge

Associate Director of Higher Education

Madison
Weiss

Senior Policy Analyst, Higher Education

Hailey
Gibbs

Associate Director, Early Childhood Policy

Viviann
Anguiano

Managing Director, Education

Rasheed
Malik

In Memoriam

Meg
Benner

Senior Consultant

Jared C.
Bass

Senior Vice President, Education

David A.
Bergeron

Senior Fellow

InProgress
Stay informed on the most pressing issues of our time.

InProgress is a weekly newsletter that keeps you up to date on key policies and empowers you to advocate for change.

Email Address(Required)

This field is hidden when viewing the form

Default Opt Ins

This field is hidden when viewing the form

C3 General

This field is hidden when viewing the form

C3 Events

This field is hidden when viewing the form

C3 Fundraising

This field is hidden when viewing the form

C3 Cultivation

This field is hidden when viewing the form

C3 InProgress

This field is hidden when viewing the form

C3 Digital Contact

This field is hidden when viewing the form

Variable Opt Ins

This field is hidden when viewing the form

Redirect url

This field is hidden when viewing the form

Post url

This field is hidden when viewing the form

utm_source

This field is hidden when viewing the form

utm_medium

This field is hidden when viewing the form

utm_campaign

This field is hidden when viewing the form

utm_content

This field is hidden when viewing the form

utm_term

This field is hidden when viewing the form

en_txn1

This field is hidden when viewing the form

en_txn2

This field is hidden when viewing the form

en_txn3

This field is hidden when viewing the form

en_txn4

This field is hidden when viewing the form

en_txn5

This field is hidden when viewing the form

en_txn6

This field is hidden when viewing the form

en_txn7

This field is hidden when viewing the form

en_txn8

This field is hidden when viewing the form

en_txn9

This field is hidden when viewing the form

en_txn10

This field is hidden when viewing the form

extra_note

This field is hidden when viewing the form

Opt-in ID

CAPTCHA

Featured work

CAP Urges the Department of Education To Protect Access to Graduate Degrees and Lower Costs for Student Loan Borrowers

CAP Urges the Department of Education To Protect Access to Graduate Degrees and Lower Costs for Student Loan Borrowers

Mar 10, 2026

Sara Partridge, Madison Weiss

CAP Comments on HHS’ Notice Rolling Back Progress Toward Improving Child Care Assistance for Low-Income Families

CAP Comments on HHS’ Notice Rolling Back Progress Toward Improving Child Care Assistance for Low-Income Families

Feb 5, 2026

Hailey Gibbs, Casey Peeks

10 Policy Recommendations To Address Cellphone Use in Schools

An eighth-grader unlocks her cell phone pouch in school hallway

10 Policy Recommendations To Address Cellphone Use in Schools

Feb 4, 2026

Weadé James, Paige Shoemaker DeMio

Trump’s Attack on Child Care Funding Undermines Early Educators, Shortchanges Children, and Increases Costs for Families

Trump’s Attack on Child Care Funding Undermines Early Educators, Shortchanges Children, and Increases Costs for Families

Jan 12, 2026

Hailey Gibbs, Casey Peeks

Latest

at a time

Child Care Professionals Are on the Front Lines as Climate Change Risks Children’s Health and Development ReportOctober 21, 2025

A teacher prepares a classroom at Woodbury Village Preschool that sustained smoke damage during the Eaton fire in Altadena, California

Child Care Professionals Are on the Front Lines as Climate Change Risks Children’s Health and Development

Amid a changing climate and federal rollbacks to disaster relief and preparedness, early educators face an increasingly untenable child care landscape that will require state and local action.

Oct 21, 2025

Hailey Gibbs, Nadia Gronkowski, Hester Paul, 2 More Joan Lombardi, Ph.D., Nsedu Obot Witherspoon

CAP Comments on Regulations for New Loan Limits, Repayment Plans, and Program Accountability Metrics ArticleOctober 17, 2025

CAP Comments on Regulations for New Loan Limits, Repayment Plans, and Program Accountability Metrics

The Center for American Progress submitted comments to the Department of Education recommending measures to protect student loan borrowers and strengthen the quality of postsecondary programs.

Oct 17, 2025

Madison Weiss, Sara Partridge, David A. Bergeron

Trump’s ‘Compact’ With Colleges Will Put University Presidents in Legal Jeopardy ArticleOctober 10, 2025

U.S. President Donald Trump looks on during a meeting.

Trump’s ‘Compact’ With Colleges Will Put University Presidents in Legal Jeopardy

The White House’s proposed Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education is unconstitutional, unlawful, and will put universities and their administrators at direct risk from a politicized Justice Department.

Oct 10, 2025

Ben Olinsky, Viviann Anguiano, Devon Ombres, 2 More Sara Partridge, Hayley Durudogan

Bolstering the Role of HBCUs in Federal Research and Development ReportSeptember 24, 2025

A student conducts research in a lab at Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Bolstering the Role of HBCUs in Federal Research and Development

Equitable R&D funding is key to unleashing HBCUs’ wellspring of innovation to improve America’s health, economic growth, and national security.

Sep 24, 2025

Sara Partridge, Victor Santos, David K. Sheppard

The State of Online Higher Education in 2025 Past EventSeptember 16, 2025

The State of Online Higher Education in 2025

Join the Center for American Progress to discuss the current challenges in monitoring and regulating online higher education.

Online
Sep 16, 2025

Career and Technical Education in Pennsylvania Past EventSeptember 2, 2025

A student speaking to Randi Weingarten, Gov. Josh Shapiro and Mayor Cherelle Parker.

Career and Technical Education in Pennsylvania

The Center for American Progress, in collaboration with the American Federation of Teachers, hosted an event to highlight career and technical education programs in the Philadelphia region and discuss policy opportunities to expand these programs elsewhere.

Sep 2, 2025

Public Education Under Threat: 4 Trump Administration Actions To Watch in the 2025-26 School Year ReportAugust 27, 2025

A fifth-grade student locks up his bike before heading in for the first day of the 2025-26 academic year.

Public Education Under Threat: 4 Trump Administration Actions To Watch in the 2025-26 School Year

As public K-12 schools across the country face increasing threats from federal policies and actions, state and local leaders should prepare to respond.

Aug 27, 2025

Paige Shoemaker DeMio, Weadé James

Recent Trends in the Cost of College Show the Continued Importance of Federal and State Investment ReportAugust 27, 2025

A student walks through the University of Riverside campus past the Carillon Bell Tower.

Recent Trends in the Cost of College Show the Continued Importance of Federal and State Investment

A federal-state partnership can help bring down the cost of college for students, who today shoulder a greater share of the burden of financing postsecondary education than in previous generations, despite recent gains in college affordability.

Aug 27, 2025

Back to School, New Uncertainties: How Cuts to Public Education Threaten Student Success Past EventAugust 19, 2025

Two students crossing the street wearing backpacks. A crossing guard is in the middle of the street holding a stop sign.

Back to School, New Uncertainties: How Cuts to Public Education Threaten Student Success

Join CAP for a discussion on how state and local leaders can mitigate the effects of federal cuts to public school to ensure equal access to a quality education for all students.

Virtual
Aug 19, 2025

CAP Comments on HHS’ Notice Affecting Head Start Eligibility Criteria ArticleAugust 14, 2025

CAP Comments on HHS’ Notice Affecting Head Start Eligibility Criteria

The Center for American Progress submitted a comment letter to the Health and Human Services Department opposing the agency’s unprecedented notice requiring Head Start programs to verify citizenship status in order for families to qualify for services.

Aug 14, 2025

Hailey Gibbs, Rosa Barrientos-Ferrer

Reaching a Boiling Point: State and Local Efforts To Protect Children From Extreme Heat Past EventAugust 13, 2025

A silhouette of children playing in water from a fire hydrant.

Reaching a Boiling Point: State and Local Efforts To Protect Children From Extreme Heat

Join CAP for a discussion on how to protect the United States' youngest learners from extreme heat in the face of efforts to roll back climate progress.

Virtual
Aug 13, 2025

‘We Are the Resources’: Head Start Is a Crucial Early Learning and Community Program for Families Nationwide VideoAugust 5, 2025

‘We Are the Resources’: Head Start Is a Crucial Early Learning and Community Program for Families Nationwide

Despite repeated attacks on the program, Head Start has a 60-year track record of providing high-quality services that prepare young children for school and set families up for success.

Aug 5, 2025

Hailey Gibbs, Olivia Mowry, Toni Pandolfo

InProgress

Stay informed on the most pressing issues of our time.

Email Address(Required)

This field is hidden when viewing the form

Default Opt Ins

This field is hidden when viewing the form

C3 General

This field is hidden when viewing the form

C3 Events

This field is hidden when viewing the form

C3 Fundraising

This field is hidden when viewing the form

C3 Cultivation

This field is hidden when viewing the form

C3 InProgress

This field is hidden when viewing the form

C3 Digital Contact

This field is hidden when viewing the form

Variable Opt Ins

This field is hidden when viewing the form

Redirect url

This field is hidden when viewing the form

Post url

This field is hidden when viewing the form

utm_source

This field is hidden when viewing the form

utm_medium

This field is hidden when viewing the form

utm_campaign

This field is hidden when viewing the form

utm_content

This field is hidden when viewing the form

utm_term

This field is hidden when viewing the form

en_txn1

This field is hidden when viewing the form

en_txn2

This field is hidden when viewing the form

en_txn3

This field is hidden when viewing the form

en_txn4

This field is hidden when viewing the form

en_txn5

This field is hidden when viewing the form

en_txn6

This field is hidden when viewing the form

en_txn7

This field is hidden when viewing the form

en_txn8

This field is hidden when viewing the form

en_txn9

This field is hidden when viewing the form

en_txn10

This field is hidden when viewing the form

extra_note

This field is hidden when viewing the form

Opt-in ID

CAPTCHA

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.