Education, K-12

Healing America’s Spiritual Crisis: A Conversation With Sen. Raphael Warnock

Please join the Center for American Progress to hear Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) speak as part of CAP's “What’s Next: Conversations on the Path Forward” series.

Moving Federal Education Programs Will Create More Bureaucracy, Not Less

The Trump administration is unlawfully using interagency agreements to continue its piecemeal dismantling of the Department of Education.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Class of 2025 Forum: Student Perspectives on Public Education’s Value and Impact

Please join the Center for American Progress for an authentic conversation with students from the class of 2025.

Preparing Rural Students for College and Beyond by Improving Access to Coursework

To better prepare rural students for postsecondary opportunities, federal and state policymakers must increase rural access to high-quality, rigorous coursework.

Last School Year Was the Hottest on Record. How Do We Protect Students?

In an op-ed published by The 74, Paige Shoemaker DeMio argues that state policymakers and advocates need to step up to protect students from the deadly effects of extreme heat.

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.

How the School Choice Agenda Harms Rural Students

As proponents of private school voucher programs continue to push for expansion, it is important to highlight the harms these programs can have on rural communities.

The Sudden Loss of Federal COVID-19 Relief Funds Will Hinder K-12 Academic Progress

The recent rescission of COVID-19 relief funding for K-12 schools will harm districts and limit their ability to address learning loss and student achievement.

Stealing From Our Children: Trump’s Dismantling of Head Start Harms Children and Families

Join the Center for American Progress for an event about the Trump administration's serious threats to Head Start, leaving its future in peril and thousands of low-income families in fear of what comes next.

Introducing a Framework for Private School Voucher Accountability

As privatization efforts to redirect funding from public K-12 schools to private institutions continue to expand, an accountability framework for private voucher programs must be implemented to ensure positive student outcomes and thorough oversight of taxpayer dollars.

Cuts to Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid Will Leave Students and Borrowers Worse Off

The Department of Education’s latest workforce cuts, coupled with the executive order calling for the closure of the department, undermine its ability to meet legal obligations and effectively serve students and borrowers.

Department of Education Staff Cuts Will Harm America’s Children and Schools

The recent decision to slash the U.S. Department of Education’s workforce nearly in half will leave it unable to carry out its responsibilities and statutory requirements under the law.

Understanding the Basics of Child Care in the United States

The United States needs real solutions at all levels of government, coupled with robust public investment, to build a child care and early learning system that works for children, families, educators, and providers.

Frequently Asked Questions About the U.S. Department of Education

The U.S. Department of Education provides vital resources to schools, students, and families across the country to ensure everyone has access to a high-quality education.

The Importance of Holding Microschools Accountable

As school choice expands and new models such as microschools emerge, policymakers and advocates must ensure that these options adhere to accountability standards and do not divert critical resources from a universally accessible, high-quality public education system.

States Seek To Improve Early Childhood Outcomes Through Consolidated Governance Structures

In recent years, a number of states have moved to consolidate disparately administered early childhood programs into a single agency to improve coordination of services and reduce administrative burdens.

Ensuring Digital Accessibility in K-12 Schools in a Technology-Driven Era

As technology advances and becomes more integral to K-12 education, school districts and policymakers must prioritize digital accessibility to enhance the educational experiences of students with disabilities and promote equity for all learners.

A Progressive Vision for Education in the 21st Century

This report encompasses key recommendations for strengthening the American education system across early childhood education, K-12 education, higher education, and workforce development.

Workforce Development State Strategies: A 50-State Scan of Best Practices From Recent Action

States can strengthen their workforces through fostering registered apprenticeships, establishing career pathways, providing supportive services, addressing demand in critical industries, and other measures.

Leveraging Technology To Equip K-12 Students for Success

Lessons From K-12 Education Relief Aid To Improve Federally Funded Programs

As COVID-19-era relief funding from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund winds down, federal policymakers should look toward expanding and improving existing base programs for K-12 public education to sustain vital investments.

Using Learning Science To Analyze the Risks and Benefits of AI in K-12 Education

Before adopting AI tools, it is important that schools think critically about whether these tools will further divorce students from how their brains are primed to learn.

Hear From a Child Care Director: How Extreme Heat Affects Young Children

Extreme heat places a strain on child care program facilities and poses risks to children’s health, learning, and development.

Fact Sheet: Local School Board Elections Matter

Local school boards help shape their communities, yet few people show up to their elections.

5 Reasons To Pay Attention to Local School Board Elections

As voters prepare for election season, they should not discount the importance of their local school boards.

Hear From a Teacher: How Extreme Heat Affects Student Learning

In rural and low-income communities, inadequate school infrastructure fails to protect students from extreme heat, negatively affecting student attendance, engagement, and achievement.

Project 2025 Is Already a Reality in Many States

Here are examples of how some states are already working to implement the extreme policies outlined in Project 2025.

Project 2025 Policies Would Make Schools Less Safe for All Students

New analysis from the Center for American Progress shows how anti-LGBTQI+ school policies could increase risks of school bullying.

Investing in GEAR UP To Advance College and Career Readiness: Pathways to Success

Access to higher education remains strongly divided by race and socioeconomic status; programs such as GEAR UP that increase college readiness and enrollment for underrepresented groups are more important than ever.

States want to reduce qualifications for teachers. That’s a huge mistake.

Paige Shoemaker DeMio writes in MSNBC about why teachers should be treated as trained professionals.

Project 2025’s Plan To Gut Checks and Balances Harms the American People

The new authoritarian playbook would devastate Americans in many ways.

Fact Sheets: The Harmful Effects of Project 2025, by State

These fact sheets provide insight into how Project 2025 would affect people in states across the country.

How States and Districts Can Close the Digital Divide To Increase College and Career Readiness

To ensure that all students are college and career ready, policymakers and educators must focus their attention on closing the digital divide.

Project 2025’s Elimination of Title I Funding Would Hurt Students and Decimate Teaching Positions in Local Schools

Project 2025 would decimate more than 180,000 teacher positions and negatively affect the academic outcomes of 2.8 million vulnerable students across the country.

What Is Project 2025?

The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 is a road map for how a new, far-right presidential administration could take over the country. Maya Angelou said it best: "When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time."

In Pursuit of Justice: Fulfilling the Promise of Brown v. Board of Education

If we hope to produce an active and diverse citizenry committed to advancing democratic principles, our students must be able to learn with and from peers of different races, ethnicities, languages, faiths, and economic status.

Summit on Education: Reset. Reframe. Reform.

2024 Summit on Education: Reset. Reframe. Reform.

Investing in School Libraries and Librarians To Improve Literacy Outcomes

Libraries and librarians not only spark a love of learning; they are crucial to reversing low reading assessment scores across the country.

K-12 Work-Based Learning Opportunities: A 50-State Scan of 2023 Legislative Action

Policymakers must work alongside educators and industry leaders to develop high-quality, equitable work-based learning models that bring these opportunities to more students.

Fact Sheet: Scaling Up High-Dosage Tutoring Is Crucial to Students’ Success

This fact sheet outlines the state of learning loss in the United States and the necessity of implementing high-dosage tutoring programs to accelerate learning and ensure student success.

Scaling Up High-Dosage Tutoring Is Crucial to Students’ Academic Success

Policymakers must take action to support states and districts in implementing high-dosage tutoring to ensure opportunities for student success.

Fact Sheet: 3 Trends in K-12 Assessments Across the Country

Reforms of state assessment systems could measure student learning more accurately and effectively, providing educators the information they need to close achievement gaps.

House Republican Budget Threatens Public Education and Opportunity for Young People

House Republican leadership’s proposed funding bill would vastly cut support for economically disadvantaged students and eliminate important programs in the K-12 education, youth workforce development, and higher education spheres.

5 Ways Government Can Reimagine K-12 School Design in the Wake of COVID-19

State and federal governments must empower schools to redesign teaching and learning for the generations to come.

Hawkins Centers of Excellence at Minority-Serving Institutions Are Boosting Teacher Diversity

Congress must maintain funding for a long-overlooked program that is helping to recruit and support more teachers of color.

5 Ways State Governments Can Support Student Mental Health

As the country faces a student mental health crisis, state policymakers must focus on instituting policies that support schools in best serving their students’ needs.

Challenges and Opportunities of Providing Free School Meals for All

The Center for American Progress’ community conversations with a Colorado school district illustrate how offering no-cost school meals is critical for students’ success and opportunities.

K-12 Education Is Vital to Success of Biden Administration’s Investment Agenda

K-12 education needs a seat at the table when implementing new laws to boost infrastructure, green energy, and technology.

Community-Based Strategies To Reduce Gun Violence in Schools

In addition to efforts from state and federal lawmakers, schools and communities have a critical role to play in addressing school gun violence through prevention and intervention approaches.

5 States Addressing Child Hunger and Food Insecurity With Free School Meals for All

State governments are taking the lead in implementing no-cost school meal programs to eliminate administrative and financial burdens for students, families, and school staff.

How To Improve Employment Outcomes for Young Adults Leaving Incarceration

Young adults reentering communities after incarceration face many barriers to finding stable work, but forward-thinking policies can lead to better employment outcomes and safer communities.

How To Make Schools Safer Without Additional Physical Security Measures

The newly enacted Bipartisan Safer Communities Act can help schools and districts create safer learning environments without resorting to implementing measures that harden schools.

Book Banning, Curriculum Restrictions, and the Politicization of U.S. Schools

State and local officials’ efforts to undermine public education by playing politics with school curricula run against the interest of most American children and families.

Federal Investments in K-12 Infrastructure Would Benefit Students Across the Country

Equitable, dedicated long-term funding for school infrastructure is needed to ensure all school buildings are safe and conducive to student learning.

Teacher Preparation Shortcuts Won’t Solve the Teacher Shortage

Recently passed legislation that reduces training requirements for teachers will harm student learning, weaken the profession, and ignore the systemic issues that have long contributed to teacher shortages.

School Air Filtration and Ventilation Strategies To Improve Health, Education, Equity, and Environmental Outcomes

Upgrading school ventilation and air filtration is a critical part of a multilayered strategy to improve and protect health, education, the environment, and equity.

Why K-12 Teachers and Their Students Need Investments in Child Care

To meet the caregiving needs of the K-12 educator workforce and the developmental needs of the youngest students, the United States needs sustained, significant federal investments in the accessibility and affordability of high-quality child care.

The Alternative Teacher Certification Sector Outside Higher Education

Enrollment continues to grow in alternative teacher certification programs operated outside of colleges, but the number of students completing these programs is declining.

Urgent Congressional Action Is Needed To Stave Off Hunger for Millions of Students

Congress must pass the Support Kids Not Red Tape Act to support continued access to school meals.

Beyond Acronyms

Honoring the Complex Experiences of Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities in K-12 Education

Prioritizing Racial Equity in Student Mental Health Spending

States and school districts have rightly prioritized student mental health as they start to spend pandemic recovery dollars, but they must do more to ensure that funding also promotes racial equity.

Proposed Priorities for the School Pulse Panel Data Collection

In these comments, the Alliance for Excellent Education and partners provide recommendations to the School Pulse Panel Data Collection to advance shared educational equity priorities through federal, state, and local policy and advocacy.

Proposed Changes to the Mandatory Civil Rights Data Collection

In these comments, the Center for American Progress suggests revisions to the Civil Rights Data Collection to get the data necessary to address equity gaps in education.

Educator’s View: Assessing Students Properly Requires More Than One Test. And Some of Them May Not Be What You Think

Jamil Modaffari discusses how states should be rethinking their approach to standardized testing in K-12 schools.

These 6 Priorities Show the Need for a Robust Domestic Discretionary Budget

Funding for government agencies expires on March 11; rather than pass another stopgap bill, Congress must pass full-year appropriations that adequately support the nation’s priorities and needs.

Q&A With CAP’s New Senior Vice President for Education, Jesse O’Connell

Jesse O'Connell, the new senior vice president for Education at the Center for American Progress, talks about the opportunities this moment offers to improve early childhood, K-12, and higher education in the United States.

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.

Co-Sponsoring Legislation To Advance Safe, Healthy, and Inclusive School Climates

Led by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, this letter urges members of Congress to co-sponsor the Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act, the Keeping All Students Safe Act, the Protecting our Students in Schools Act, the Safe Schools Improvement Act, and the Ending PUSHOUT Act.

Engaging the Community in School Funding Decisions

Community members highlight the importance of community involvement in school spending decisions and ways for schools to increase this engagement.

Retaining and Fostering Diverse Schools Program in the FY 2022 Budget

Led by the National Coalition on School Diversity, this letter advocates for the inclusion of the Fostering Diverse Schools program in the fiscal year 22 budget.

Supporting the Strength in Diversity Act (H.R. 729)

Led by the National Coalition on School Diversity, this letter expresses support for the Strength in Diversity Act.

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.

How To Increase Support for Youth Leaving Juvenile Detention Facilities

Students returning home from juvenile detention centers deserve support to reintegrate into their communities, especially during the pandemic.

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.

How the Underfunding of K-12 Public Schools Impacts Students, Educators, and Families

Students, educators, and family members describe how the underfunding of K-12 public schools has negatively impacted their experiences and opportunities.

Supporting the Safe Schools Improvement Act (H.R. 4402/S. 2410)

Led by GLSEN, this letter expresses support for the Safe Schools Improvement Act.

Budget Reconciliation Must Support a Quality Education for All Students

Ensuring a quality education for America’s students during the COVID-19 pandemic will require a range of federal and state supports, as well as efforts to build a robust economy that works for everyone.

Future of Testing in Education: Effective and Equitable Assessment Systems

This analysis of testing in schools shows what the current debate gets wrong, and how educators and policymakers can create a future where assessments are a more effective part of the teaching and learning system.

Future of Testing in Education: Artificial Intelligence

Technology and artificial intelligence can vastly improve the types of assessments teachers use to guide students in their learning.

Future of Testing in Education: The Way Forward for State Standardized Tests

There are valid criticisms about the current structure of state standardized testing in schools; the solution is not to get rid of these assessments but rather to design them differently.

Fact Sheet: Targeted Grants for Educational Excellence Program

This fact sheet outlines the details of a proposed grant program that would increase recruitment and retention of highly qualified educators in schools with the highest teacher turnover.

How To Ensure Equitable Access to Great Teaching

The Center for American Progress proposes a new grant program to address the working conditions that contribute to job dissatisfaction and high turnover among the nation’s K-12 teachers in order to increase equal access to highly qualified teachers.

The Secretary’s Proposed Priorities for Discretionary Grants Programs

In these comments, the Center for American Progress provides support for the secretary’s six proposed priorities and offers some additional recommendations to further strengthen them.

How Students Can Help Build Better Education Policy

The Education Department has an opportunity to reimagine the policymaking process by committing to incorporating student voice.

Social and Emotional Supports for Educators During and After the Pandemic

As K-12 districts and schools plan for recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is essential that providing social and emotional supports for educators is a key part of the conversation.

Recommending the Reestablishment of Five White House Initiatives

In this letter, Khalilah Harris recommends that the Biden administration reestablish five White House initiatives housed in the Department of Education.

Remote Learning and School Reopenings: What Worked and What Didn’t

As the United States recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic and schools return to in-person learning in the fall, it is key that educators learn from the successes of the past year and avoid making the same mistakes.

Investing in Educators Through the American Families Plan

Led by Teach Plus, this letter to Congress asks that $9 billion in funding be included in the American Families Plan to invest in the teaching workforce.

Closing Advanced Coursework Equity Gaps for All Students

Even in high schools with similar levels of access to advanced coursework, Black, Latinx, and Indigenous students are less likely to be enrolled in advanced courses—and even when they are enrolled, they experience less success in these courses than their peers.