Think Twice Weekly Report
march 28, 2026 - APRIL 3, 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 Savings Accounts (ESAs)
Source: EdChoice
Date: 4/1/26
Spending in Arizona's ESA Program: A Multi-Stage Transaction-Level Analysis
After Arizona opened its Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program to all families in 2022, a program that took a decade to enroll 10,000 students ballooned to ten times that number in just three years. The 100,000 families spending ESA funds in 2025-26 have over 2 million transactions worth over $1 billion for education goods and services. Stakeholders are catching up to the scope of this program and beginning to ask important questions about whether those dollars are in fact going to educational expenses. Our new report digs into the transaction-level data to find out. Our results demand more nuance than many recent headlines want you to have.
LGBTQ Issues
Source: Bellwether
Date: 3/31/26
Federal Policy on LGBTQ+ Students: Early Actions for States in Response to Recent Changes
This memo summarizes the federal laws that apply to LGBTQ+ students in K-12 public schools and recent federal actions that impact these students. It also outlines actions that some state leaders have taken, as well as strategic questions for others to consider, as they support LGBTQ+ youth.
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 Who's on Board? School Boards and Political Representation in an Age of Conflict
Source: Fordham Institute
Reviewed by: Carrie Sampson, Arizona State University; Jeanne M. Powers, Arizona State University
A recent Fordham Institute report surveys more than 5,000 school board members across over 3,000 districts, finding they are disproportionately White, college educated, and often current or former teachers, with politics and beliefs that largely mirror both the U.S. public and their local communities.
In their review of Who's on Board? School Boards and Political Representation in an Age of Conflict, Arizona State University professors Carrie Sampson and Jeanne M. Powers find the report offers a useful snapshot of board composition, political orientation, and perceptions.
What We're Reading
Research and articles that we want to highlight for subscribers as potential resources:
The assault on public data is a threat to good policy
By: Anne Kuhnen, Michigan League for Public Policy
"But our access to certain federal sources of information is now at risk, as the current administration takes steps to erase, undermine, and misuse the data we have long relied on."
Department of Labor proposes regulation encouraging retirement plans investing in crypto and private equity
By: Education Policy Institute
"On March 30, 2026, the U.S. Department of Labor proposed a regulation to expand the ability for retirement plans to invest in alternative assets. Among other components, the rule would expand "safe harbor" provisions that reduce the liability for fiduciaries, who have the legal responsibility to act in their client’s best interest when managing their money, when investing in certain types of riskier alternative assets."
Monday April 6th, 2p ET: Screen Time in Schools: A Policy Briefing for State Leaders
By: CoSN
"To support thoughtful policymaking and inform this rapidly evolving public discussion, CoSN, Digital Promise, FullScale, and SETDA are convening a national policy briefing designed specifically for state education agency leaders and policymakers–creating space for informed discussion grounded in research, policy, and the operational realities of state education systems."
Rethinking school staffing: How team-based teaching may improve teacher retention
By: Shannon Holston, National Council on Teacher Quality
"A recent study by Richard Ingersoll (University of Pennsylvania), Lennon Audrain (Arizona State University), and Mary Laski (Arizona State University) examines whether a team-based staffing model-known as the Next Education Workforce (NEW) model-affects teacher authority and teacher turnover."
Report | A Nation at Risk to A Nation at Work: The Case for a National Talent Strategy
By: Bipartisan Policy Center
"As the gap grows between what people learn and what the labor market and society demand, and as too many leaders have become distracted by partisan priorities that fail to broadly serve the American people, the nation lacks a coherent strategy that links individuals to opportunity and the nation to a secure future. The result is a landscape where learners, workers, and employers must navigate fragmentation at precisely the moment when clarity and agility matter most."
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.
