Think Twice Weekly Report

 
JULY 11 - JULY 17, 2026

The Think Twice Weekly Report compiles public education-related policy reports, research and articles of interest to policymakers, educators and stakeholders. This list is not exhaustive but is meant to highlight recent reports that may be used to support or undermine the work of our subscribers in supporting public schools. We encourage you to take a moment to scan these reports and determine if they may be used by policy makers to assist or erode your mission.



Policy Reports


Education and the Workplace

Source: Center for American Progress
Date: 7/13/26
Career and Technical Education Policy: A Multistate Case Study on Employment Outcomes

There is growing interest in scaling career and technical education, yet barriers to advancement remain. This report offers policy recommendations and case studies from states to expand these opportunities for more students.

Education and the Workplace

Source: Progressive Policy Institute
Date: 7/14/26
A Practical Guide to Work-Based Learning: Lessons from Six Programs at the Cutting-Edge of Career Education

Career education programs that include work-based learning are becoming an important part of American high schools. At their best, these programs connect classroom learning with real work experience, giving students a chance to explore careers, build practical skills, learn workplace habits, and understand how academic knowledge is used beyond school.

 

Career education programs that include work-based learning are becoming an important part of American high schools. At their best, these programs connect classroom learning with real work experience, giving students a chance to explore careers, build practical skills, learn workplace habits, and understand how academic knowledge is used beyond school.

Literacy Education and Reading Instruction

Source: Ed Trust
Date: 7/16/26
Beyond the Early Grades: The State of Adolescent Literacy in Massachusetts

EdTrust in Massachusetts released a new report, Beyond the Early Grades: The State of Adolescent Literacy in Massachusetts, which finds that nearly 150,000 students in grades six through eight and 10 are not meeting grade-level expectations in English language arts (ELA), with especially troubling disparities for Black and Latino students, multilingual learners, students with disabilities, and students from low-income backgrounds.

School Administration and School Administrator Issues

Source: Common Sense Institute
Date: 7/14/26
Administrative Growth in Colorado's Largest School Districts

Students across the country could lose access to free school meals, forcing the typical family with two children to spend $1,900 to $2,200 more per year for school meals.

School Choice

Source: EdChoice
Date: 7/17/26
Research Review - 2026 Edition

Researchers from across the country have published at least 188 empirical studies on the effectiveness of private school choice programs. You'll learn what the research says about school choice's effect on test scores, educational attainment, public school students' academics, public school districts' finances, and much more.

School Reform and Restructuring

Source: Manhattan Institute
Date: 7/16/26
An Education Agenda for New York City NYC Schools Need Significant Change, Not More Money

Inefficiencies in the school system extend across many areas. As the mayor and chancellor pursue an affordability agenda for working-class families, they may face difficult budget trade-offs, including the possibility that resources currently directed to the school system could be needed for other priorities affecting the quality of life for families with school-age children, such as expanding publicly supported day care.

 

Given the mayor and chancellor's position that they can improve the schools through curriculum and program mandates from central headquarters,[5] they must also put in place a robust system of monitoring and accountability. This is because there are very real differences in quality between individual schools, differences that have thwarted systemwide improvement. Money alone will not be enough.

 

Some of the necessary changes can be undertaken locally; others will require legislative action over the coming years. The city and school system's leadership must begin seeking those changes in the coming year, and voters should consider the needed reforms when evaluating candidates for statewide and legislative offices in November.

Reports Reviewed


GLC seeks to ensure that policy briefs impacting education reform are based on sound, credible academic research. Below are reviews conducted with GLC support.



Review of Inside the Mississippi Marathon

Source: Progressive Policy Institute
Reviewed by: Gregory Camilli, Professor Emeritus at Rutgers University

The Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) recently published a report offering an insider account of how Mississippi's K-3 education system has evolved over roughly two decades.

In his review of Inside the Mississippi Marathon, Gregory Camilli, professor emeritus at Rutgers University, focuses on just a slice of the report: its description of the state's performance in fourth-grade reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The state's improvement on that exam has been called the "Mississippi Miracle." The PPI report rejects that characterization, opting instead to use a "marathon" metaphor.



What We're Reading


Research and articles that we want to highlight for subscribers as potential resources:



Immigration enforcement won't just hurt immigrants-it will follow their classmates into public schools too

By: Hilary Wething, Economic Policy Institute

"Immigration enforcement hurts many aspects of public life, and public schools have not been spared. ICE enforcement campaigns in cities like Washington and Minneapolis have turned public schools into staging grounds for raids: ICE agents are arresting parents and students who are suspected to be undocumented, and spreading fear among immigrant children and their families and school officials. Additionally, anti-immigration advocates are making a play to overturn a landmark Supreme court ruling, Plyler v. Doe, which ruled that states cannot deny students a free public education based on their immigration status."


How to Research Private Schools Like an Investigative Reporter

By: Mollie Simon, Propublica

"It can be really hard to get transparent, comprehensive information about private schools. Our investigative reporters share some suggestions for parents and guardians who want to collect it themselves."


District Policy Pathfinder

By: National Council on Teacher Quality

This is a search tool from NCTQ that either side of the table may want to use for negotiations information. "Compass answers questions about teacher policies in NCTQ's covered districts using 2024-2025 academic year data. Ask about specific districts, compare peers, or reference NCTQ research."


Rural NY School District Will Be One of First to Bring Humanoid Robot Into Classroom

By: Melissa Manno, New York Focus

“The female robot, named Sally, will have a “lifelike appearance” with silicone skin and long brown hair, Kiguel said in an interview with New York Focus. It will be stationary in a seated position but have a wide range of upper-body movements and facial expressions. Students will use a unique identification code when interacting with the robot during class, allowing it to access their learning data and provide personalized support based on their past communication with the avatar…”

Barns, Go-Karts and Strip Malls: The Wild West of Private Schools That Collect Taxpayer Dollars

By: Jennifer Smith Richards, Megan O'Matz, Mollie Simon and Jennifer Berry Hawes, ProPubica

"States examined by ProPublica have little interest in overseeing the schools: not who runs them, what they teach or how they perform."