Center for American Progress

Donate

Departments

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

All Members

Meg
Benner

Senior Consultant

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

This field is hidden when viewing the form

Default Opt Ins

This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form

Variable Opt Ins

This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form

Featured work

Latest

Compact View

  • Filter by
  • Type
    • Type
    Show Results
  • Date
    • Date
    • Date

    • to

    Custom range Fixed range
  • Topic
    • Topic
    Show Results
  • State
    • State
    Show Results
  • Toggle Search

  • 1555 Results

Clear filters

Trump Rule Changes Would Kneecap Head Start In the News

Trump Rule Changes Would Kneecap Head Start

In an op-ed for The Progressive Magazine, Hailey Gibbs argues that a proposed Trump administration rule change would exacerbate child care shortages, keep educators trapped in poverty-level wages, and ultimately harm children and families.

The Progressive Magazine

Hailey Gibbs

CAP Comments on HHS’ Notice Rolling Back Progress Toward Wage and Benefits Improvements for Head Start Workforce Article

CAP Comments on HHS’ Notice Rolling Back Progress Toward Wage and Benefits Improvements for Head Start Workforce

The Center for American Progress recently submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) opposing the revocation of a 2024 rule improving Head Start staff and educator wages and benefits.

Hailey Gibbs, Casey Peeks

The Nationwide Child Care Crisis: Addressing Affordability and Supply Shortages Past Event

The Nationwide Child Care Crisis: Addressing Affordability and Supply Shortages

A discussion about new research, the impacts on families and communities, and the actions that leaders in Congress are taking now to build toward a child care system for the future that supports the nation’s youngest learners.

Center for American Progress and Online via Zoom

CAP Comments on Individual Tax Credit for Qualified Contributions to Scholarship-Granting Organizations Article

CAP Comments on Individual Tax Credit for Qualified Contributions to Scholarship-Granting Organizations

The Center for American Progress submitted comments to the U.S. Department of the Treasury on the pending rules for the new individual tax credit program, which provides a federal dollar-for-dollar tax credit of up to $1,700 to individuals who donate to scholarship-granting organizations.

Weadé James, Paige Shoemaker DeMio

Measuring America’s Licensed Child Care Supply Report
Close-up on children's hands playing with toys in a basin of water

Measuring America’s Licensed Child Care Supply

Analysis conducted in 2025 measuring families’ access to child care programs, a crucial first step to mitigating the child care supply crisis.

Hailey Gibbs, Won F. Lee, Gabrielle Pepin, 2 More Katharine Sadowski, Aaron Sojourner

America’s Licensed Child Care Deserts Report
Two young children standing at table, with bulletin board and other decorations in background

America’s Licensed Child Care Deserts

Eight years after our initial report, CAP’s 2026 analyses of U.S. licensed child care supply reveal that just fewer than half of the nation's young children still live in child care deserts.

Hailey Gibbs, Casey Peeks

Stabilizing and Strengthening State Funding for Public Higher Education After the Big Beautiful Bill Report
A hand raising a graduation cap

Stabilizing and Strengthening State Funding for Public Higher Education After the Big Beautiful Bill

Despite steep federal funding cuts in the Big Beautiful Bill, states can continue to support public higher education by creating progressive state tax revenue streams and strengthening rainy day funds to support postsecondary student success and degree completion.

Sara Partridge

Federal and State Policy Outlook for Community Colleges Past Event

Federal and State Policy Outlook for Community Colleges

Join the CAP and the Community Colleges Coalition to explore how community colleges are adapting to new federal and state policies.

Online via Zoom

The Trump Administration’s Changes to the Child Care and Development Fund Would Strip Families of Thousands of Dollars in Potential Child Care Savings Article
A child plays with blocks and puzzles.

The Trump Administration’s Changes to the Child Care and Development Fund Would Strip Families of Thousands of Dollars in Potential Child Care Savings

Removing a 7 percent cap on child care copayments would put much-needed relief from rising child care costs out of reach for families in 10 states.

Hailey Gibbs, Casey Peeks

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

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

The Center for American Progress submitted a comment letter to the Department of Health and Human Services opposing the agency's efforts to roll back progress toward paying child care providers more fairly and lowering costs for families.

Hailey Gibbs, Casey Peeks

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

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

The Trump administration leveraged allegations of fraud in Minnesota in an attempt to freeze essential child care funding, a move that reflects a dangerous, broader posture toward the early childhood community that threatens educators, parents, and children.

Hailey Gibbs, Casey Peeks

The Trump Administration’s Latest Staffing Cuts at the Department of Education Threaten Children’s Success Across the Country Article
A U.S. Department of Education employee leaves the building with their belongings.

The Trump Administration’s Latest Staffing Cuts at the Department of Education Threaten Children’s Success Across the Country

Cuts to staff at the Department of Education threaten the federal government’s long-term ability to ensure equal access to education for all, including children with disabilities.

Paige Shoemaker DeMio, Weadé James

How Changes to Fourth-Grade Reading Standards and Research-Backed Approaches Can Improve Reading Achievement Report
Teacher sitting at classroom table with students

How Changes to Fourth-Grade Reading Standards and Research-Backed Approaches Can Improve Reading Achievement

Four states—Alabama, Louisiana, Massachusetts, and Mississippi—have shown that adopting more rigorous literacy standards and scientific approaches to reading instruction can help reverse the decline in reading scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

Tania Otero Martinez, Weadé James

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

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

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

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

The State of Online Higher Education in 2025 Past Event

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

Career and Technical Education in Pennsylvania Past Event
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.

Fact Sheet: What To Know About the Child Care for Working Families Act Fact Sheet
A parent picks up his kids at a child care center.

Fact Sheet: What To Know About the Child Care for Working Families Act

The Child Care for Working Families Act would make child care more accessible and affordable, promote high-quality care options, and support child care workers.

The Early Childhood Policy Team

The Full Cost of Attendance: Addressing Housing, Food, and Other Barriers to Community College Student Success Report
Students walk past the library at East Los Angeles College on September 27, 2022, Los Angeles, California.

The Full Cost of Attendance: Addressing Housing, Food, and Other Barriers to Community College Student Success

Although community colleges offer low tuition, students still face steep costs for essentials such as housing, food, transportation, child care, and supplies—barriers that policymakers must address to make college truly affordable.

Veronica Goodman, Madison Weiss, Sara Partridge

About Extreme Heat, We Need to Prioritize Children In the News

About Extreme Heat, We Need to Prioritize Children

In an op-ed published by InsideSources, Hailey Gibbs highlights proven strategies that communities and policymakers can adopt to better mitigate the deadly effects of climate change for young children and infants.

InsideSources

Hailey Gibbs

10 Egregious Things You May Not Know About the One Big Beautiful Bill Act Article
Members of the House walk up the steps of the U.S. Capitol.

10 Egregious Things You May Not Know About the One Big Beautiful Bill Act

Congressional Republicans’ radical budget and tax bill includes several less-known provisions that will increase costs, fuel the Trump administration’s overreach, and waste taxpayer dollars.

Colin Seeberger, Andrea Ducas, Natasha Murphy, 9 More Kierra B. Jones, Andrés Argüello, Lily Roberts, Kyle Ross, Michael Sozan, Silva Mathema, Sara Partridge, Paige Shoemaker DeMio, Corey Husak

The Top 5 Ways the Congressional Republicans’ Budget Reconciliation Bill Will Harm Disabled Students Report
Students are seen eating lunch.

The Top 5 Ways the Congressional Republicans’ Budget Reconciliation Bill Will Harm Disabled Students

Disabled students will be disproportionately hurt by the Republican budget reconciliation bill, losing access to essential services and resources that support their education and help them become contributing members of their communities.

Mia Ives-Rublee, Weadé James

5 Ways Community Colleges Drive Workforce Development Report
A student stands in the shade at East Los Angeles College.

5 Ways Community Colleges Drive Workforce Development

Community colleges play a vital role in workforce development by offering accessible education, aligning programs with industry needs, providing upskilling opportunities, fostering local partnerships, and supporting lifelong learning for diverse populations.

Madison Weiss

Who Pays for Choice? The Threat Privatization Poses to Public Education Past Event

Who Pays for Choice? The Threat Privatization Poses to Public Education

Join CAP and NCLD for a virtual event about the growing trend of privatizing public education and unpack the real costs of school choice, revealing how it affects students, weakens local schools, and strains communities.

Online only

Load More

This field is hidden when viewing the form

Default Opt Ins

This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form

Variable Opt Ins

This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form

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