Think Twice Weekly Report
February 1 - FeBRUARY 7, 2025
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
Teacher Pay and Benefits
Source: Annenberg Institute at Brown University
Date: December 2024
What Happens When We Pay Our Teachers More? Evidence from New Jersey Public Schools
This paper examines the impact of increasing teacher salaries on student outcomes by exploiting variation from the “50K The First Day” campaign that established a $50K salary floor for new teachers across New Jersey school districts. Using school-level data from 2003 to 2019, we employ a staggered difference-in-differences (DiD) approach and first show that the campaign raised salaries for all teachers in New Jersey by approximately $1.5K. Our results indicate that districts implementing the salary increase experienced improvements in 4th grade and high school Math and English Language Arts (ELA) proficiency scores. We also observe modest gains in graduation rate and college enrollment. Analyzing the mechanisms through which these positive effects could have been observed, we rule out teacher migration as a key driver suggesting that the observed improvements are more likely due to changes in teacher motivation and the quality of new teachers entering the profession. Lifting teacher salaries for all teachers-regardless of their performance level-seems to be improving student outcomes in New Jersey.
Student Attendance, Nutrition
Source: Annenberg Institute at Brown University
Date: December 2024
Empty Plates, Empty Seats: Food Insecurity and Student Absence in the US and Across the Globe
Since the onset of COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a significant rise in student absenteeism in the US and elsewhere. Meanwhile, food insecurity remains a persistent issue across the globe, including in the US. Food insecurity shapes students' immediate and wider contexts and may worsen school attendance. Applying ecological systems theory, we examined the relationship between food insecurity and student absence globally. We used multi-level zero-inflated Poisson regression to analyze novel, individual-level data of about half a million students from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2022. We found a universal and important relationship between food insecurity and student absence, which remains robust after accounting for student and school characteristics. Results suggest that the US should prioritize addressing food insecurity due to its higher levels of both food insecurity and student absenteeism compared to many other developed nations. We conclude that food security plays a key role in ensuring equal educational access globally.
Teacher Education, Teacher Preparation
Source: Annenberg Institute at Brown University
Date: Feb 2025
Strengthening Early-Career Teachers: Effective Components of Teacher Induction Programs
This research brief highlights evidence-based practices that make teacher induction programs effective in supporting early-career educators, particularly in high-need schools. Grounded in research, these practices include individualized coaching, targeted professional development, structured peer collaboration, administrative support, and workload adjustments. These strategies address key challenges for new teachers, such as classroom management and instructional quality, while also promoting teacher retention and equity in student learning. By implementing these proven approaches, schools can strengthen their teaching workforce and improve student outcomes, offering a research-backed solution to ongoing staffing challenges in education.
Private Schools
Source: Heartland Institute
Date: December 2024
Streamlined: Reforming Tennessee's Private School Regulatory Environment
Since the onset of COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a significant rise in student absenteeism in the US and elsewhere. Meanwhile, food insecurity remains a persistent issue across the globe, including in the US. Food insecurity shapes students' immediate and wider contexts and may worsen school attendance. Applying ecological systems theory, we examined the relationship between food insecurity and student absence globally. We used multi-level zero-inflated Poisson regression to analyze novel, individual-level data of about half a million students from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2022. We found a universal and important relationship between food insecurity and student absence, which remains robust after accounting for student and school characteristics. Results suggest that the US should prioritize addressing food insecurity due to its higher levels of both food insecurity and student absenteeism compared to many other developed nations. We conclude that food security plays a key role in ensuring equal educational access globally.
School Choice
Source: EdChoice
Date:2/5/2025
Who's Afraid of School Choice?
For decades, critics of school choice have warned that it would destroy public education. From claims that funding would evaporate to predictions of catastrophic harm to students, the rhetoric has been dramatic-and remarkably consistent.
But is there any truth to these warnings?
In Who's Afraid of School Choice?, we examined public debates over new school choice programs in eight states-Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Utah. This second edition builds on findings from the 2021 report, which revealed that the intensity of opposition rhetoric doesn't depend on the size or scope of a program. Whether a program serves 1% of students or nearly all of them, critics employ the same heated arguments.
School Reform and Restructuring
Source: Center for American Progress
Date: 2/7/2025
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.
Special Education
Source: WILL and School Choice WI
Date: 2/1/2025
Thousands Served: Students with Disabilities in Wisconsin's Parental Choice Programs
The extent to which Wisconsin's school choice programs serve students with disabilities has been in the news media in recent years. However, in the absence of sound data, many reports rely on rumor and speculation. In the past two years, the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) has partnered with School Choice Wisconsin (SCW) to provide an accurate assessment of disability rates. Our second survey, conducted in the fall of 2024, received a significantly higher response rate than our first. This provided much greater insight on the extent to which choice schools serve students with disabilities. The survey was responded to by 205 school leaders who represent 240 of the 403 schools in the choice programs. These 204 schools collectively enrolled 74.1% of students in the state's school choice programs this year. We find that schools in those programs serve far more students with disabilities than the media or the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) report.
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 Think Again: Are Education Programs for High Achievers Inherently Inequitable?
Source: Fordham Institute
Reviewed by: Margaret Thornton, Rowan University
A recent Fordham Institute report analyzes several perceived threats to educational opportunities for students who score well on standardized tests and class grades. It contends that these threats come from those who are overly concerned about "equity" and who seek to undermine programs designed for these high-achieving students.
In her review of Think Again: Are Education Programs for High Achievers Inherently Inequitable?, Margaret Thornton of Rowan University finds that it adds nothing to the debate about the best way to place students in classrooms and programs.
What We're Reading
Research and articles that we want to highlight for subscribers as potential resources:
Trump Advisers Weigh Plan to Dismantle Education Department
By: Matt Barnum, Liz Essley Whyte, & Ken Thomas, The Wall Street Journal
The officials have discussed an executive order that would shut down all functions of the agency that aren't written explicitly into statute or move certain functions to other departments, according to people familiar with the matter. The order would call for developing a legislative proposal to abolish the department, the people said. Trump's advisers are debating the specifics of the order and the timing, the people said.
Trump 2.0: How Much Federal Education Aid Could Your State Lose?
By: Education Law Center
This tool, developed by the Education Law Center, provides projected revenue losses in each state by federal funding source if the Trump administration follows through on threats to cut federal money for public education. The tool also shows the number of entry level teaching positions that would be lost if state education resourcws must fill teh gap left by federal funding cuts.
Hundreds of thousands of students are entitled to training and help finding jobs. They don't get it
By: Meredith Kolodner, The Hechinger Report
More than a decade ago, Congress recognized the need to help young people with disabilities get jobs, and earmarked funding for pre-employment transition services to help students explore and train for careers and send them on a pathway to independence after high school.
25% uptick in student homelessness highlights the demand for school resources
By: Kara Arundel, K-12Dive
The number of students experiencing homelessness jumped 25% between the 2020-21 and 2022-23 school years, highlighting the need for school districts and communities to respond to growing numbers of unhoused youth, said advocates for housing stability.
The Trump administration disbanded a federal school safety board. Now what?
By: Anna Merod, K-12 Dive
Amid education leaders' growing struggles with school safety issues from gun violence to cyberattacks, the Trump administration recently disbanded a federal school safety advisory board.
About the Think Twice think tank review project
The goal of the Think Twice project is to provide the public, policymakers and the press with timely academically sound reviews of selected think tank publications. The Think Twice project is funded by the Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice. The reviews that are part of this project are expert third-party reviews produced by the National Education Policy Center.
About the Great Lakes Center for Education Research & Practice
The Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice is an independent nonprofit organization supported by education stakeholders across the country. The mission of the Great Lakes Center is to support and disseminate high quality research and review of research for the purpose of informing education policy and to develop research-based resources for us by those who advocate for education reform.
