The latest data from AEI's Return to Learn Tracker indicate that the public schools in districts offering the most in-person learning saw their enrollment rates recover more quickly than did those in districts that stayed remote longer. The tracker also found that in 2021–22, enrollment declines followed partisan divides, as "most districts that voted for Trump rebounded, while enrollment continued to fall in those that voted for Biden." The Return to Learn Tracker and its founding director, Nat Malkus, were featured in a Washington Post story on Wednesday.

Also on Wednesday, Paul Ryan and Matthew Continetti joined Yuval Levin to discuss Continetti's new book, The Right: The Hundred-Year War for American Conservatism (Basic Books, 2022). Looking back at the history of the GOP, Ryan and Continetti agreed that ideological disputes within the party are not new, and they expressed cautious optimism that a new conservative consensus might emerge.

Frederick M. Hess writes that for the first time in at least two decades, Republicans may have an opportunity to lead public opinion on education, an area in which the Democrats have stumbled. Hess argues, however, that the GOP will need to do more to win the lasting trust of voters disturbed by school closures and critical race theory.

Former Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX) discussed his new book, American Reboot: An Idealist's Guide to Getting Big Things Done (Simon & Schuster, 2022), in an event with AEI President Robert Doar on Monday, April 25. Their wide-ranging conversation covered such pressing challenges as illegal immigration, China's technological competitiveness, and the future of education.

Mark Jamison rejects President Barack Obama's recent call for regulations on social media to combat disinformation. Limiting speech, Jamison says, benefits neither democracy nor freedom. "Such controls," he warns, "have done the opposite throughout history and would this time too."

In the latest report from AEI's Survey Center on American Life, Daniel A. Cox and his coauthors identify a growing gender divide in America. They found that men and women are diverging not only politically but also in how they socialize and spend their free time.