Classroom Teaching and Learning / Student Achievement

Source: Fordham Institute

Date: 8/20/25

"Equitable" Grading Through the Eyes of Teachers

Grading policies have long been debated in American schools, but only recently have "equitable" reforms taken center stage.

 

Policies like "no zeros," eliminating late penalties, and allowing unlimited retakes aim to make grading fairer for disadvantaged students. But critics argue that these changes inflate grades, erode accountability, and ultimately harm student learning-and many teachers agree.

 

In the first nationally representative survey to examine this issue, America's K-12 teachers finally got a chance to weigh in. The verdict: Most teachers report feeling pressured to give higher grades, and say these policies reduce academic engagement, even in schools without formal mandates.

Curriculum and Teaching

Source: CRPE

Date: 8/20/25

What counts as civics? A look at how districts define and facilitate civic learning

A new report from the American School District Panel, a research partnership between RAND and CRPE, examines how districts define and facilitate civic learning in an era of political polarization, competing instructional priorities, and uneven state support.

Grade Retention

Source: Annenberg Institute at Brown University

Date: 8/12/25

The effects of third-grade retention on multilingual students: A gateway or a gatekeeper?

This paper estimates the effect of test-based grade retention on multilingual students classified as English Learners (ML-ELs). This policy could provide an opportunity for ML-ELs to develop English language proficiency and master academic content or put them at increased risk of worse academic and labor market outcomes. I use a regression discontinuity design leveraging Texas's test-based grade retention policy to estimate the effects of this policy on ML-ELs' short- and long-term outcomes. Under Texas policy, students scoring below the reading test cutoff are required to repeat third grade and receive additional reading support. I find that, for students close to the test score cutoff, grade retention and supplemental services have a positive effect on math and reading achievement, as well as increasing the probability of reclassification. These positive effects do not, however, translate into higher post-secondary enrollment or earnings. I find small and not statistically significant effects of grade retention on ML-ELs' probability of enrollment in a post-secondary institution. I also find that earnings for marginally retained students are statistically the same as those for promoted students in young adulthood. Finally, I find suggestive evidence that the effects of retention are larger in schools with higher expenditures on retained students or on bilingual education. This paper underscore the importance of analyzing how education policies designed with all students in mind affect ML-ELs in the short- and long-term.

Immigration

Source: Bellwether

Date: 8/20/25

Sensitive Locations: How Federal Immigration Policies Affect Students and Schools

This paper estimates the effect of test-based grade retention on multilingual students classified as English Learners (ML-ELs). This policy could provide an opportunity for ML-ELs to develop English language proficiency and master academic content or put them at increased risk of worse academic and labor market outcomes. I use a regression discontinuity design leveraging Texas's test-based grade retention policy to estimate the effects of this policy on ML-ELs' short- and long-term outcomes. Under Texas policy, students scoring below the reading test cutoff are required to repeat third grade and receive additional reading support. I find that, for students close to the test score cutoff, grade retention and supplemental services have a positive effect on math and reading achievement, as well as increasing the probability of reclassification. These positive effects do not, however, translate into higher post-secondary enrollment or earnings. I find small and not statistically significant effects of grade retention on ML-ELs' probability of enrollment in a post-secondary institution. I also find that earnings for marginally retained students are statistically the same as those for promoted students in young adulthood. Finally, I find suggestive evidence that the effects of retention are larger in schools with higher expenditures on retained students or on bilingual education. This paper underscore the importance of analyzing how education policies designed with all students in mind affect ML-ELs in the short- and long-term.

School Choice

Source: School Choice WI

Date: 8/12/25

Wisconsin's Most Cost-Effective K-12 Program

Giving parents the opportunity to choose private schools is Wisconsin's most cost-effective K-12 investment. In Milwaukee, Racine, and statewide, choice schools rank higher on official state Report Cards than traditional public schools. Using the state Report Card as a measure of productivity, the choice school productivity advantage is 76 percent in Milwaukee, 46 percent in Racine and 33 percent in the statewide program. Productivity reported here is likely understated. First, while the choice programs have family income eligibility limits, this report compares choice students to ALL public school students. Moreover, revenue estimates exclude federal aid, a category where public schools have a significant edge. Choice enrollment growth reflects popularity with Wisconsin families. During the last nine years, student enrollment grew 66 percent and private school participation grew 88 percent. The programs serve disproportionately non-white and economically disadvantaged families compared to all K-12 students. Results reported here reinforce earlier research on cost effectiveness. Separate research shows other significant behavioral advantages for students in the Milwaukee program.

School Finance and Funding

Source: Bellwether

Date: 8/13/25

Intentional Alignment: Mapping a Path Forward for Strategic Resource Management

School districts in the United States spend nearly $1 trillion every year to educate K-12 students and serve communities and families. How that money is spent matters, as budgeting decisions shape student learning outcomes. Despite the importance of these decisions, the budgeting process itself is often fragmented, disconnected from current data, or misaligned with the district's long-term strategic objectives. This misalignment between budgeting and desired student outcomes can result in an inefficient use of resources, limiting the ability of districts to serve their students effectively.

 

Strategic resource management (SRM) - the intentional alignment of financial, human, and political resources with clear educational goals - offers a framework to ensure that every dollar, every hire, and every stakeholder is contributing to the success of students.

 

Intentional Alignment: Mapping a Path Forward for Strategic Resource Management in K-12 Districts outlines a definition of SRM, details common challenges with SRM implementation, and offers promising examples from organizations across the country that are working to support SRM in districts or deepen the field's understanding of its key principles.

School Reform and Restructuring

Source: Brookings Institute

Date: 8/12/25

Creating and sustaining a new kind of education system after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans

Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath disrupted every element of life in the city of New Orleans, but no sector was affected as much as education. Almost all New Orleans public schools were taken over by the state and eventually turned into autonomous charter schools. By the end of the state takeover 13 years later, all of the city's publicly funded schools were converted to charter schools. Now, New Orleans schools are reunified into one district governed by the local school board. While this is consistent with school reform approaches in other cities, no city has gone as far as New Orleans.

Tuition Tax Credit

Source: WILL

Date: 8/22/25

Unleashing Opportunity: Why Wisconsin Should Opt In to the Federal Tax Credit Scholarship Program

A new federal tax credit scholarship opportunity, enacted as part of the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," creates an unprecedented opportunity to expand access to educational resources for all Wisconsin students-without any cost to the state. The federal scholarship opportunity allows individuals to receive a 100% federal tax credit of up to $1,700 for donations to Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs), which then distribute funds to eligible students for a broad range of qualified education expenses. Unlike the existing private school parental choice programs in Wisconsin, which are limited to tuition and tied to strict income thresholds, this federal opportunity is available to more families and supports a variety of educational needs.

Review of Apples to Apples: The Definitive Look at School Test Scores in Milwaukee and Wisconsin for 2024

Source: Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty

Reviewed by: Benjamin Shear, University of Colorado Boulder

A recent report from the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) examines publicly available test score data from Spring 2024 in Wisconsin to investigate the relative effectiveness and cost of school choice programs.

The report claims to provide evidence that private schools participating in the state's voucher programs and charter schools yield better academic results as compared with traditional public schools, but Benjamin Shear of the University of Colorado Boulder identifies several critical limitations in the data and analyses behind those claims. NEPC today published Professor Shear's review of WILL's Apples to Apples: The Definitive Look at School Test Scores in Milwaukee and Wisconsin for 2024.

Proposal would remove federal data collection for special education racial disparities

By: Kara Arundel, K-12Dive

The U.S. Department of Education is proposing to remove a requirement for states to collect and report on racial disparities in special education, according to a notice being published in the Federal Register on Friday.

Vermont's new education law signals an end to state funding for religious schools

By: Corey McDonald,vtdigger

"Under the new law, however, private schools located in the state must now pass two tests to remain eligible for public funding: they must be located in a school district or supervisory union that does not operate a public school for some or all grades, and they must have had at least 25% of their student body from the 2023-24 school year funded by a Vermont public school district."

U.S. investment in public education is at risk

By: Hilary Wething and Josh Bivens, Economic Policy Institute

"Weak public K-12 education spending in the U.S. and the rising trend of Republican attacks on public schools threaten our children's futures. The last decade has seen a flurry of high-quality studies that show that increasing the level of spending per pupil would have reliable effects in boosting student achievement and closing various achievement gaps."

Here's How We Hold on to Experienced Teachers: Give Them the Support They Need

By: Linda Darling-Hammond and Michael J. Petrilli, Learning Policy Institute

This Blog post from LInda Darling Hammond of the Learning Policy Institute and Michael J. Petrilli from the Forrdham Institute was originally published on July 28, 2025 by The Hechinger Report. It is a part of the series, Solving Teacher Shortages, which highlights innovative and evidence-based initiatives and explores policy options and other approaches to building a strong and stable teacher workforce.

From Project 2025 to the PayPal Presidency: School Choice Fin-Tech for a Blockchain Social Credit Economy

By:John Klyczek, Unlimited Hangout

"The ambitions of the Koch-backed network behind Project 2025 and the the PayPal Mafia behind President Trump are set to converge in a public-private fin-tech industry that distributes school choice subsidies using digital wallets and stablecoins based on AI social credit analytics."

GreatLakesCenter.org