View this email in your browser ([link removed])
Dear Colleagues,

I just returned from the Association for Education Finance and Policy conference in Denver and was struck by the range of research underway on education innovations. The pandemic has created many challenges for educators but has also offered an opportunity to test new approaches to supporting student success.

One consistent theme in the current school-improvement conversation is the importance of a diverse teaching force, which research has linked to improved attendance, grades, graduation rates and college enrollment. We hope you will join us at noon Tuesday, April 4, when we partner with TNTP for a webinar ([link removed]) on the topic.

Moderated by FutureEd Senior Fellow Lynn Olson, the panel will include:
* Tequilla Brownie, CEO, TNTP
* Sharif El-Mekki, CEO, Center for Black Educator Development
* Mayme Hostetter, President, Relay Graduate School of Education
* Tami Jenkins, Senior lecturer, Tech Teach Across Texas

Also, be sure to read our Teachers Like Us report ([link removed]) outlining strategies for attracting and retaining teachers of color.

[link removed]

Register ([link removed])
Education in the State Houses

It’s the busy season in state legislatures, and many of the high-profile bills this year are about education. FutureEd examined the state-of-the-state and budget addresses from 44 governors and captured what they had to say about schools and colleges in an analysis ([link removed]) that ran on our site and The 74’s.

Bella DiMarco and Liz Cohen on our policy team did a deep dive into the wave of recent state legislation promoting public funding of private schooling and produced:
* [link removed] explainer ([link removed]) detailing the different types of private-school-choice initiatives, particularly the new universal programs approved in Arkansas, Florida, Iowa and Utah this year
* A table of private-school-choice options ([link removed]) currently available
* A legislative tracker ([link removed]) listing 115 bills introduced in 34 states this year
* Interactive maps ([link removed]) of states offering each major type of public support for private education

And we tracked a spate of bills ([link removed]) focused on parents’ right to know what their children are learning in classrooms, particularly around issues of race and gender.

At the National Level

We have continued to follow the pace of spending Covid-relief aid ([link removed]) , with our latest analysis showing that states and districts have spent nearly $86 billion or more than 45 percent of the $189 billion in ESSER funding. We also updated our list of Congressional committee members ([link removed]) serving on panels that affect education.

And Associate Director Phyllis Jordan featured new research on assessing teacher quality ([link removed]) in an interview with American Institutes for Research economist Ben Backes.

We continue to track leadership moves in the education sector in The Churn ([link removed]) , and to provide a listing ([link removed]) of upcoming in-person and virtual education events. Send your events and leadership news to [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) , and we’ll be happy to post it.

Best spring wishes,

Tom

Thomas Toch
Director, FutureEd
McCourt School of Public Policy
Georgetown University
[email protected]
@thomas_toch


| 202.413.2247 | @futureedgu ([link removed]) | www.future-ed.org ([link removed])

============================================================
** FutureEd on Twitter ([link removed])
** Instagram ([link removed])
** FutureEd on Facebook ([link removed])
** Website ([link removed])
Copyright © 2019, All rights reserved.

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can ** update your preferences ([link removed])
or ** unsubscribe from this list ([link removed])
.