Beyond the Ballot: Sustaining Progress in Academic Recovery and Early School Success

While there has been a lot of heat around education-specific policy changes, Mike Petrilli counseled that the actual changes in education policy may be considerably less dramatic than the rhetoric around those changes. Echoing Petrilli’s cautious view of anticipated changes, Denise Forte of The Education Trust emphasized the importance of looking beyond “education policy” alone to understand potential policy changes that could have an enormous impact on learning conditions. While recognizing that 90% of young children are in public schools and education policy is obviously important, Forte urged participants to pay close attention to the consequences of decisions around Medicaid, school nutrition and the child tax credit. These policies create the backdrop against which schools operate and play a significant role in determining how favorable — or unfavorable — conditions for learning might be. 

The speakers also underscored an urgent need to recognize and respond to the “outcomes crisis,” as Kevin Huffman of Accelerate framed it. “We’re in the middle of an outcomes crisis right now in the country, and we have major problems that will ripple through the economy…if we don’t take them on.”

Panelists stressed the need for targeted strategies that focus on kids and families, alongside high-quality implementation of strategies designed to increase student learning and development. Jean-Claude Brizard of Digital Promise added a broader perspective on accountability: “Yes, accountability is important. We have to double down on student outcomes as long as we redefine what that is.” He called for a shift in focus from narrow metrics to goals such as economic mobility and future happiness, urging stakeholders to view math and reading proficiency as means to broader ends. 

All participants agreed that we need much more data and research to get a clear picture of what is happening for young students and clarity about the strategies (and implementation approaches) that produce gains in student learning. As Forte said, “Please keep calling out for data from your school districts…we need to have data from communities so we can really understand what’s going on.”  

Finally, all the participants zeroed in on the crucial role of external support and coalitions in tackling these challenges. The panelists discussed the power of collective advocacy, from driving demand for data to using narratives to amplify success stories. As Brizard noted, leaders making tough decisions need to be “flanked” by supportive voices and institutions. Forte summed it up saying, “Work through coalitions. [We need] more voices from the community calling for data, doing storytelling and using that information…we can’t leave any more talent behind.” This message underscored a shared commitment to creating equitable, data-informed and outcomes-driven approaches to education that benefit all children and families.