Think Twice Weekly Report

AUGUST 17, 2024 - AUGUST 23, 2024

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


Diversity – Race, Ethnicity, Class, Culture, and/or Gender

Source: Fordham Institute
Date: 8/21/2024
Explaining Achievement Gaps: The Role of Socioeconomic Factors

Racial achievement gaps in schools are well documented and remain a significant cause of concern in education. Troubling too is that the role of socioeconomic disparities in mediating these gaps remains unresolved.

Education and the Workplace

Source: Progressive Policy Institute
Date: 8/19/2024
Career Pathways: How to Create Better Alternatives to College

"American workers deserve better than a binary choice between an overpriced college degree program and a patchwork of public and private job training programs of uneven quality. Instead, U.S. leaders should equalize opportunity for workers, regardless of what path they choose. This means building a world-class education system that is inclusive of all options, not just college, to ensure greater upward mobility for American workers."

Reading Instruction

Source: Fordham Institute
Date: 8/21/2024
Explaining Achievement Gaps: The Role of Socioeconomic Factors

Ohio elementary schools are moving to the Science of Reading, an approach that emphasizes phonics along with vocabulary- and knowledge-rich content. Keen on learning what this transition looks like inside classrooms, we asked Ellen Belcher, a former journalist with the Dayton Daily News, to visit Northridge Local Schools to shine light on their literacy practices.

School Choice

Source: Manhattan Institute
Date: 8/22/2024
A Reformation in Public Education School Choice in Theory and Practice

"American public education is undergoing a seismic change. As more states adopt universal school choice policies, the U.S. Supreme Court continues to define the constitutional rights and limitations of religious freedom and the civic obligations inherent in compulsory education.

In a series of recent decisions, the Court has made clear to states that though they are not constitutionally required to offer school choice to families, they must not exclude religious schools from any choice programs that they choose to adopt. Further, the Court has made clear that public financial support of religious schooling does not violate the Constitution."

Teacher Education, Quality, and Professional Development

Source: NCTQ
Date: 8/20/2024
Clinical Practice Action Guide

"In March 2024, NCTQ released a Clinical Practice Framework, grounded in research and the views of the field. It details six focus areas that make for a strong clinical experience.

This action guide tells the stories of prep programs, districts, and states that have made a concerted effort to build a strong clinical experience, aligning with most or all aspects of the framework-and provides advice on how you can get started."

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 The Broken Pipeline: Advanced Education Policies at the Local Level

Source: Thomas B. Fordham Institute
Reviewed by: Eunice S. Han, University of Utah

A recent Thomas B. Fordham Institute report describes current policies and practices at the district level across the U.S. that are designed to provide what the report calls advanced and gifted education. A review of the report determines, however, that its conclusions and policy suggestions lack validity.

In her review of The Broken Pipeline: Advanced Education Policies at the Local Level, Eunice S. Han of the University of Utah finds murky terminology, a lack of evidence-based indicators, and issues with the data sources and analyses.



What We're Reading


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



Why Trump Can't Disavow His Support for Project 2025

By: Maurice Cunningham, The Progressive Magazine

"...many of the policy ideas from Project 2025 are already in place or are rolling out in red states such as Iowa, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Florida. One policy area from Project 2025 that is particularly pernicious is its plan for schools, which includes criminally prosecuting teachers and librarians and replacing public education with for-profit schools, homeschooling, and Christian nationalist indoctrination."


Will Tim Walz Make Democrats the Education Party Again?

By: Jeff Bryant, LAProgressive

"...Harris's decision to choose Walz as her running mate creates an opportunity to overhaul the outdated education policies of the Democratic Party establishment and remake the party's image of being a genuine hero for public schools and children."


Education Department approves all requests to extend ESSER spending deadlines

By: Kara Arundel, K-12 Dive

States and districts with COVID relief spending extensions have an extra 14 months to liquidate funds.


2024 National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People

By: The Trevor Project

The Trevor Project's 2024 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People amplifies the experiences of more than 18,000 LGBTQ+ young people ages 13 to 24 across the United States. For the sixth year, the U.S. National Survey uncovers the reality that there is a significant association between anti-LGBTQ+ victimization and disproportionately high rates of suicide risk - and that far too many young people struggle to access the mental health care they need.


The 56th Annual PDK Poll

By: PDK Poll

Preparing students to enter the workforce and attracting and retaining good teachers are Americans' top educational priorities for the next administration in Washington, regardless of who wins the upcoming presidential election, the 2024 PDK Poll finds.