Albert Shanker Institute

The Adequacy and Fairness of State School Finance Systems 2026 An evaluation of the K-12 school finance systems of all 50 states and D.C.

NEW: The 8th edition of our annual report evaluating state K-12 school finance systems, as well as one-page state profiles, visualizations, full datasets, and more.
www.schoolfinancedata.org/the-adequacy...

What Would Bayard Rustin Do? Part 1 Part I of “What Bayard Rustin Would Do” describes the context of Rustin’s work up to 1965.

After visiting the National Civil Rights Museum's new exhibit on Bayard Rustin ("Speaking Truth to Power"), I looked to Rustin's writings for guidance on today's challenges to democracy. The result is a two-part series in the @shankerinst.bsky.social's Blog.

www.shankerinstitute.org/blog/what-wo...

Read the new @shankerinst.bsky.social blog by The Horizons Project's Adam Fefer and Maria Stephan breaking down how educators can and do resist censorship, disinformation and fear-based politics.

https://www.shankerinstitute.org/blog/when-educators-confront-authoritarianism

School Cell Phone Bans: Listen to Researchers and Stakeholders School cell phone policy must reflect the research and views of stakeholders.

School policies on personal device use are changing rapidly!

Round-ups are often super useful for seeing what's new ... a few I've read recently

1. Blog from @shankerinst.bsky.social asks whether tablets provided by school are different from cell phones www.shankerinstitute.org/blog/school-...

School Cell Phone Bans: Listen to Researchers and Stakeholders School cell phone policy must reflect the research and views of stakeholders.

With banning cell phone use in schools becoming increasingly popular, ASI Fellow Tiffany Broadbent writes that it is important for policymakers to consider the research and listen to stakeholders. www.shankerinstitute.org/blog/school-...

Chart titled “22 countries invest more in public education than the U.S.” The chart provides a simple ranking of 35 countries based on average public per-pupil spending on K–12 education, expressed as a share of per capita GDP in each country in 2019.

The US ranks 22nd in educational spending among its peer countries.

Recent studies show that money DOES matter when it comes to school spending, especially in high-poverty districts.

We need to spend more on public education!

Learn more: www.epi.org/publication/...

The Mindsets We Bring to Understanding Reading Laws Our priors affect how we understand literacy mandates and that is ok. We can still find common ground.

Esther Quintero unpacks the arguments around reading laws, showing how priors shape both support and skepticism. www.shankerinstitute.org/blog/mindset...

The Mindsets We Bring to Understanding Reading Laws Our priors affect how we understand literacy mandates and that is ok. We can still find common ground.

www.shankerinstitute.org/blog/mindset...

New blog by @equintero.bsky.social: We all bring priors to debates re literacy. Over time, these can harden into fixed positions. By unpacking where each side is coming from, we can soften divides, open space for dialogue, & set a few shared non-negotiables.

Five ways to rethink the future of teaching based on our recent work on developing teacher-designed innovation. Open access for Teach Secondary. cdn.teachwire.net/e-mag/Teach-... @shankerinst.bsky.social @uottawa.ca @crownhousepub.bsky.social @dutaut.bsky.social @onishiacais.bsky.social

Graph of the day - why it's important to maintain a balanced revenue portfolio of state & local revenues for schools (for more, see: www.shankerinstitute.org/revenuecomp)

Revisiting the Great Divergence in State Education Spending The gap between higher- and lower-spending education states is growing.

The gap between higher- and lower-spending education states is growing. www.shankerinstitute.org/blog/revisit...

It has been a joy to help create the kind of professional development I wish I had when I was in the classroom: instructionally-focused, teacher-led, video-based. I wrote a piece for the @shankerinst.bsky.social about how it works and how you can DIY this PD in your own school or district.

The Pandemic And Cultural Scripts Of School-Family Relationships Arizona State professor Sherman Dorn recommends viewing the current crisis as the basis for asking important "what if?" questions about public schooling in the U.S.

From my thoughts in June 2020: "I suspect the bigger question is whether and how the pandemic and economic turmoil reshapes the relationship between schools and families."

Also see short section "Opting Out on the Continuum of Participation in Schools" in Ross et al. (2023) doi.org/10.1177/2332...

When Teachers Teach Teachers, Teachers Learn Teachers deserve concrete, practical, and teacher-led PD.

In a new post, @katasolow.bsky.social highlights a model of PD that bridges the research-to-practice gap by providing teachers with concrete examples of great literacy instruction. www.shankerinstitute.org/blog/when-te...

When Teachers Teach Teachers, Teachers Learn PD should be lead by teachers.

Kata Solow highlights a model of PD that bridges the research-to-practice gap by providing teachers with concrete examples of great literacy instruction. www.shankerinstitute.org/blog/when-te...

‘Back to the Dark Ages’: Education Research Staggered by Trump Cuts With contracts severed and grants rescinded, experts say Washington’s hit to K–12 research will set back the field for years.

‘Back to the Dark Ages’: Education Research Staggered by Trump Cuts

With contracts severed and grants rescinded, experts say Washington’s hit to K–12 research will set back the field for years. @the74.bsky.social

www.the74million.org/article/back...

As we watch the dismantling of the U.S. Dept of Ed, which will be felt somewhat in funding reductions to states and local districts, it will be felt even more so in a) oversight and enforcement of rights for vulnerable populations and b) access to high quality data & research.

Celebrating 20 Years of AFT Collaboration with PBS Public Television Station WETA on Colorín Colorado! Colorín Colorado, an online resource hub, to provide educators of English language learners (ELLs) with evidence-based resources, best practices, and information.

Proud of my AFT colleagues who have been lifting evidence based literacy for decades, and, importantly, making this wealth of academic knowledge accessible to educators and families

This tremendous resource focuses on multilingual learners.

www.shankerinstitute.org/blog/celebra...

Immigration Raids Add to Absence Crisis for Schools

The current wave of federal immigration raids began in January with a “rogue” operation in California’s Central Valley.

My new study finds these raids increased school absences by 22%—a leading indicator of the resulting family stress & lost learning opportunities👇

www.nytimes.com/2025/06/16/u...

Puzzling Over Declining Academic Achievement Many are concerned about the large decline in K-12 student achievement since 2019. And rightly so, given what it signals about student learning and later life outcomes. Less noted is the pre-pandemic ...

This recent working paper by Jim Wyckoff shows that student achievement declines began well before the pandemic, and lays out the evidence for several possible causes. edworkingpapers.com/ai25-1197

States Face Uncertainty as an Estimated $6.2 Billion in K–12 Funding Remains Unreleased: Here’s the Fiscal Impact by State States face uncertainty as $4.8 billion in K–12 federal funding remains unreleased. If the U.S. Department of Education doesn’t distribute these funds by July 1, state educational agencies will need p...

learningpolicyinstitute.org/blog/states-...
From the Learning Policy Institute, showing the impact of the administration's reckless decision to withhold billions of critical education dollars. Vermont and DC are set to see over 20% of their federal school funding yanked. Over 10% in every state.

Evidence-Based Education Policy Research | Live Handbook Explore evidence-based education policy research at our digital hub. Access data-driven insights to improve learning outcomes and shape effective policies.

If you love #EdResearch & #EdPolicy, you should check out the Live Handbook! livehandbook.org

This research did not grow on trees! Much of it was supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, either directly or through investments in education research infrastructure (training, standards, etc.)

Education Department reinstates some research and data activities Trump administration lawyers admit some DOGE cuts violated congressional statutes

Thanks to @jillbarshay.bsky.social and @hechingerreport.org for this very important ongoing reporting about federal data and research programs hechingerreport.org/proof-points...

Florida lawmakers increased education funding, but will districts really feel it? Florida ranks among the lowest in education spending. This year that won’t change

Nice reporting on Florida education funding miamiherald.com/news/local/e... @clarasophiadaly.bsky.social
Long, steady downhill slide in a state that can and should do much better!

The New Educational Accountability: Understanding the Landscape of Teacher Evaluation in the Post-NCLB Era Abstract. In the past five years, teacher evaluation has become a preferred policy lever at the federal, state, and local levels. Revisions to teacher evaluation systems have made teachers individuall...

Very interesting review of teacher evaluation components, rewards/consequences, and procedures. direct.mit.edu/edfp/article...

Science of Reading Laws: Let’s Begin with the Facts Thoughtful critique of reading laws needs to be rigorous and fair.

Thoughtful critique of reading legislation is essential—but it begins with an honest reading of the laws themselves, say Esther Quintero, Kayla Reist, and Susan B. Neuman. www.shankerinstitute.org/blog/science...

We are saddened to learn of the passing of distinguished scholar and ASI board member, William H. Schmidt. Bill's contribution to the field was immense, and he always made time to speak directly with classroom practitioners. We extend our sympathy to his family, friends, and colleagues.

How Would Cutting Federal Aid to Schools Affect Student Achievement? A simulation of the impact of eliminating federal aid to schools suggests no student would be left unharmed.

We simulate both a total elimination of federal K-12 aid and an "unregulated block grant" scenario; both would cause terrible harm to the nation's students. www.shankerinstitute.org/blog/cutting...

The Educational Opportunity Project at Stanford | The Unfinished Legacy of Brown v Board of Education at 70 Use our visualizations to explore educational opportunity in your school & community.

Tomorrow is the anniversary of the Brown v Board decision. Revisit videos and presentations from our conference, "The Unfinished Legacy of Brown v Board of Education at 70"

edopportunity.org/segregation/...

Eroding Integration: 21st Century Segregation Trends in U.S. Public and Charter Schools and Implications for the Enduring Promise of Brown - Erica Frankenberg, Caprial Farrington, Elizabeth H. DeBray,... Drawing on Boddie’s adaptive discrimination framework, this article analyzes changes in demographic trends from 2002–2021. Our findings reveal a continuation of...

On this day before the 71st anniversary of the Brown v Board of Education decision that declared school segregation inherently unequal, sharing a new publication written for the 70th anniversary examining why integration is eroding (open access): 🧵
journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....