Beyond the Ballot: Did Child Policy Predictions Hold True?

Join the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading as we reconvene with the education leaders who joined us for Beyond the Ballot: Sustaining Progress in Academic Recovery and Early School Success, hosted in early January 2025, to hear their reflections on the first 100 days of the new administration. With the U.S. Department of Education frequently in the headlines, debates over school funding, curriculum oversight, and parental rights remain at the forefront. This session will examine early policy actions, shifting priorities, and ongoing areas of contention at the federal, state, and local levels. Attendees will gain insight into what’s taking shape in public education — from early learning investments to career readiness pathways — and consider what these developments mean for communities, educators, and advocates. Panelists will also discuss how proposed shifts related to Medicaid, early learning, school nutrition, and other “whole child” supports might affect children’s well-being and development. As political and policy landscapes evolve, how can leaders committed to ensuring more hopeful futures for young children navigate uncertainty, leverage opportunities and sustain progress in academic recovery and early school success?

Attendees will hear from:

• Jean-Claude Brizard, Digital Promise;
• Denise Forte, The Education Trust;
• Kevin Huffman, Accelerate
• Robin Lake, Center for Reinventing Public Education
• Michael B. Petrilli, Thomas B. Fordham Institute.
• John Gomperts, CGLR, Moderator