Think Twice Weekly Report

DECEMBER 6 - DECEMBER 12, 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 Recruitment, Diverse Workforce

Source: Learning Policy Institute
Date: 12/1/25
Supporting and Sustaining a Diverse Teacher Workforce

"A diverse teacher workforce is essential to student success, and yet, teachers of color remain significantly underrepresented in America's classrooms. The new report, Supporting and Sustaining a Diverse Teacher Workforce, examines national trends and identifies critical barriers that continue to limit both entry into and longevity within the profession for teachers of color. Although more candidates of color are preparing to teach, too many lack access to comprehensive preparation, competitive compensation, supportive working conditions, and early-career mentoring-factors that strongly influence teacher retention. Evidence points to actionable federal, state, and local policy strategies that can strengthen pathways into teaching and ensure that teachers of color are supported to thrive throughout their careers."

Digital Technologies and Artificial Intelligence in Education

Source: New America
Date: 12/11/25
Digital Literacy in the Age of AI: Analysis and Voices from the Field

"In November 2022, generative artificial intelligence (AI) burst into everyday life in homes, classrooms, workplaces, and communities. For education, the rapid acceleration of this technology provided new opportunities that could transform assessments, personalize learning, and support instruction, but it also raised uncertainty and concerns about policies that would impact professional development (PD), access and equity, data privacy, and student safety. Questions have also emerged about what counts as digital literacy, AI literacy, and even how both relate to computer science (CS). This brief explores these questions through a literature review, stakeholder interviews, a focus group of educators and students, and a 50-state scan of the digital literacy skills landscape."

Literacy Education

Source: CRPE
Date: 12/9/25
Virtual 1:1 Literacy Tutoring in Oakland Unified School District: Implementation and Effectiveness of a Pilot at Scale

"In 2024-25, Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) launched a districtwide pilot of virtual, high-dosage, 1:1 literacy tutoring in partnership with three providers: Hoot, Ignite Reading, and OpenLiteracy. This initiative aimed to address early reading gaps, particularly in phonics, for K-2 students who were below grade level."

School Choice

Source: EdChoice
Date: 12/11/25
The ABCs of School Choice

"As we celebrate the 25th anniversary of this seminal publication, you may notice that this year's book looks a bit lighter than normal, but don't worry! It still includes all the information you're accustomed to reading and more. In fact, we've streamlined each program page to focus on the most critical information, while keeping all the key details intact. We've also brought back our universal maps (now in their second year) so you can quickly see which states meet the high bar of universal eligibility, options, and funding.

 

New this year, we've included an overview of the federal tax credit program, which provides yet another avenue for families to access the education of their choosing.

 

The biggest change is reorganizing the book by state, rather than program type, so you can more easily find the information you need most. This slimmer, more digestible edition continues to evaluate every program against the three pillars of universality: who is eligible, how broadly families can use their funds, and how those programs are funded. These benchmarks, pioneered by Milton Friedman and now EdChoice, help policymakers, parents, and stakeholders assess what's working and what still needs improvement."


Student Achievement / Testing

Source: Brookings
Date: 12/8/25
Learning curves: Post-COVID learning trajectories differ by the grade a student was in when the pandemic hit

"In this analysis, we follow cohorts of students over time to see if trajectories in proficiency rates in math and English Language Arts (English) differ before and after the pandemic based on the grade a student was in when they experienced COVID-era disruptions. For example, we ask: Is the proficiency rate trajectory for students who were in kindergarten during the 2019-20 school year different from students who were in fourth grade or different from students who were in kindergarten before the pandemic?"


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 A State-Level Perspective on School Spending and Educational Outcomes

Source: The Brookings Institution
Reviewed by: Mark Weber, Rutgers University

A large and growing body of high-quality research shows that increased school funding positively affects student outcomes. Yet, as compared to the effect of school funding reported in an authoritative meta-analysis, a new Brookings Institution report examining this relationship finds a much smaller (although still positive) effect.

In his review of A State-Level Perspective on School Spending and Educational Outcomes, Rutgers University lecturer and school finance expert Mark Weber explains how the report's reliance on overly simplistic methods prevents it from credibly estimating the true relationship between funding and student outcomes.



What We're Reading


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



Parents say school-issued iPads are causing chaos with their kids

By: Tyler Kingkade, NBC News

"It makes no sense to me," Byock said. "We've banned the cellphones, but it doesn't matter, because the kids are using the school-issued devices in exactly the same way."


How Trump 2.0 upended education research and statistics in one year

By: Jill Barshay, The Hechinger Report

"As many as 16 members from Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team embedded within the agency in early February, according to news reports. These Young Turks reviewed contracts, identified vulnerabilities and quietly plotted what some would later call a blitzkrieg against federal research. As one senior researcher told me, decades of painstaking work vanished overnight in an attack by an inexperienced and ideologically driven staff intent on dismantling the bureaucracy without understanding its purpose."


Colorado Gov. Jared Polis wants merger of higher education and labor departments

By: Jason Gonzales, Chalkbeat

"Gov. Jared Polis is backing the plan, which is similar to steps taken by the Trump administration and several Republican-led states, but actually doing it will require legislation. It's part of a larger national trend of tying education more closely to the job market. "


When Raids Reach the Classroom

By: Liliana Florencia Falcone, Education Next

"The nationwide crackdown on immigration is devastating student learning and defying a Supreme Court decision meant to protect it"


Permanent injunction on West Virginia charter schools system over constitutional issue of citizen votes

By: Brad McElhinny MetroNews

"A judge agreed with the argument that charter schools created by the state charter board, not by the school district, violate the state constitution. "