Derrell Bradford · [email protected]

February 25, 2026 at 2:14 PM

Meet the 2026 Cohort of the National Voices Fellowship

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) [link removed] Dear John, Today, I am excited to introduce you to Cohort VIII ([link removed]) of 50CAN's National Voices Fellowship. Cohort VIII joins the national education discourse as our nation’s collective approach to reading and math …

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  Marc Porter Magee · [email protected]

February 24, 2026 at 4:36 PM

TODAY at 3pm ET - join the Educational Opportunity Survey Webinar!

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) [link removed] Dear John, Just a quick reminder that we're hosting our public briefing today on The State of Educational Opportunity in America survey ([link removed]) at 3pm ET with Edge Research's Pam Loeb. Join us by RSVPing for the webin…

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  Marc Porter Magee · [email protected]

February 23, 2026 at 12:29 PM

The New Reality Roundup | Reactions to the Survey + 2 Big Wins in NM | Week 310

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) Dear John, “The best advocates are great listeners,” we wrote back in 2017 in The 50CAN Guide to Building Advocacy Campaigns ([link removed]) . “What don’t you know that others could teach you? Who can help you broaden your thinking? Who in your c…

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  Marc Porter Magee & Derrell Bradford · [email protected]

February 19, 2026 at 3:01 PM

The State of Educational Opportunity in America, 2nd Edition

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) [link removed] Dear John, “Nearly six years after the start of the COVID pandemic, nearly one in four U.S. schoolchildren has received tutoring, according to a new, wide-ranging survey of more than 23,000 parents, 60% of whom say they strongly …

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  Marc Porter Magee · [email protected]

February 9, 2026 at 12:29 PM

The New Reality Roundup | New Math Best Practices + The Efficacy of a Master's Degree | Week 308

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) Dear John, It is week 308 of our new reality and in states across the country legislative sessions are open for business. As we shared ([link removed]) at the close of 2025, our state campaigns this year have made literacy and math central to their…

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  Marc Porter Magee · [email protected]

January 26, 2026 at 12:30 PM

The New Reality Roundup | Chronic Absenteeism + Our New Campaign Leaders | Week 306

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) Dear John, Happy National School Choice Week! We hope that you’ve checked out ([link removed]) the events happening this week in your local community and are planning to head out to show your support. Last week, we announced ([link removed]) 57 g…

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  Marc Porter Magee · [email protected]

January 20, 2026 at 12:29 PM

Our 57 goals for 2026

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) Dear John, As legislative sessions open across the country, we’re excited to launch 50CAN’s policy agenda for 2026: 57 concrete goals from across our state network that we want you to hold us accountable for achieving this year. Taken togethe…

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  Derrell Bradford · [email protected]

January 13, 2026 at 12:29 PM

50CAN is growing to two new states. Welcome Ohio and Nevada!

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) Dear John, 50CAN’s vision has always been to support local leaders while they work to improve education in the states they live in and know best. That's why, today, I’m thrilled to share the launch of two new state campaigns as part of the 50CAN…

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  Marc Porter Magee · [email protected]

January 12, 2026 at 12:29 PM

The New Reality Roundup | The Biggest School Choice Week Yet + 2026 Predictions | Week 304

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) Dear John, It is week 304 and in this first Roundup of the new year, we are thinking about how the school choice landscape continues to change as the number of families participating in choice programs grows. Two recent Wall Street Journal article…

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  Marc Porter Magee · [email protected]

December 15, 2025 at 12:30 PM

Special Edition: The New Reality Roundup | 50CAN's Year in Review | Week 300

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) Dear John, It is week 300 of our new reality and, in our last Roundup of the year, we’re taking a moment to reflect on what we have accomplished together and what we need to do in 2026 to make the greatest difference for kids. There is a lot to…

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  Marc Porter Magee · [email protected]

December 10, 2025 at 12:29 PM

15 Years of 50CAN: An Oral History 📣

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) Dear John, As we close out 2025, we’re marking a special milestone for our network: 15 years of 50CAN. This has always been the ultimate group project. When we set out to tell the story of our first 15 years, the only way to do it justice was…

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  Derrell Bradford · [email protected]

December 2, 2025 at 12:29 PM

This Giving Tuesday, Stand with Families Fighting for a Better Education

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) Dear John, Today is Giving Tuesday, a day when people across the country come together to support the organizations building a better future. At 50CAN, that future is rooted in a simple promise: we can create a world where every child is surroun…

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  Marc Porter Magee · [email protected]

December 1, 2025 at 12:29 PM

The New Reality Roundup | 2026 is the Year of Math + Higher Ed's Varying ROI | Week 298

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) Dear John, It is week 298 and as high school seniors start to hear back from colleges about their applications, we are thinking about how some colleges made their admissions system more unfair when they deemphasized standardized tests and elevated m…

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  Marc Porter Magee · [email protected]

November 17, 2025 at 12:30 PM

The New Reality Roundup | Stand Up for Testing + Talking Tutoring | Week 296

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) Dear John, It is week 296 and we are thinking about the backlash to the backlash on standardized testing. It wasn’t that long ago that it looked like standardized testing was on the ropes. It started 10 years ago with the “opt out” movement, wh…

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  Derrell Bradford · [email protected]

November 13, 2025 at 12:29 PM

Meet the 50CAN Math and Data Science Fellows

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) [link removed] Dear John, Earlier this year, we released Mathways: Every Kid is a Math Kid ([link removed]) , a practical framework for addressing America's math crisis while creating more ways for students to engage in math and data science co…

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  Marc Porter Magee · [email protected]

November 3, 2025 at 12:30 PM

The New Reality Roundup | Education Polling on Election Eve + Afterschool Access | Week 294

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) Dear John, It is week 294 of our new reality and we are thinking about the power of persistence. Last week, longtime partners, supporters and past and current staff members gathered in New Haven, Connecticut to celebrate ConnCAN’s 20th annivers…

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  Marc Porter Magee · [email protected]

October 20, 2025 at 11:30 AM

The New Reality Roundup | New Mexico is Rising + Emily Oster | Week 292

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) Dear John, It is week 292 and we are thinking about the long shadow cast by the surge in student absenteeism and the challenges it has created in the push for academic recovery. In a new report ([link removed]) published by AEI, USC’s Morgan Po…

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  Derrell Bradford · [email protected]

October 14, 2025 at 10:29 AM

The Future of Tutoring - Liz Cohen’s new book

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) [link removed] Dear John, In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, something remarkable happened: within a year over 10,000 school districts launched new, publicly-funded tutoring initiatives. Today, I’m proud to share that our very own Liz Cohen,…

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  Marc Porter Magee · [email protected]

October 6, 2025 at 11:29 AM

The New Reality Roundup | A Changing School Choice Landscape + Southern Surge, New England Slide | Week 290

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) Dear John, It is week 290 of our new reality and we’re reflecting, following our 2025 CAN Summit in New Orleans, Louisiana, on the partnerships and people that are critical to expanding educational opportunities across the nation. A particular no…

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  Derrell Bradford · [email protected]

September 23, 2025 at 11:29 AM

Applications are now open for the 2026 cohort of 50CAN's National Voices Fellowship

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) [link removed] Learn More, Apply Today! ([link removed]) Applications Close October 22, 2025 at 11:59pm ET. Dear John, In 2019, 50CAN launched the inaugural cohort of National Voices fellows to build a community of bipartisan advocates to e…

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  Marc Porter Magee · [email protected]

September 9, 2025 at 1:08 PM

Special Edition: The New Reality Roundup | NAEP: Lowest Reading Scores Ever | Week 286

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) Dear John, The latest Nation’s Report Card is out. America is getting another educational wake up call and the big question is: will our leaders keep hitting snooze? In this special edition of the roundup we have brought together all the facts,…

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  Marc Porter Magee · [email protected]

September 8, 2025 at 11:30 AM

The New Reality Roundup | 20 Years After the Storm + No One is Reading | Week 286

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) Dear John, It is week 286 of our new reality and we are thinking about the power of leadership, bold ideas and second acts. As explored in our first top task below, this is a time for reflection on the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina 20 years ago, a…

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  Marc Porter Magee · [email protected]

August 25, 2025 at 11:31 AM

The New Reality Roundup | Smarter Spending + New Entrepreneurs | Week 284

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) Dear John, It is week 284 in our new reality and we are thinking about money as a silver bullet. It has become popular in many policy circles to argue that the best way to fight generational poverty in America is to simply give people money. Go…

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  Derrell Bradford · [email protected]

August 20, 2025 at 11:30 AM

Mathways: A new framework for America's math challenge

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) Dear John, While the Science of Reading is more than just phonics, to this day I remember sounding out words as a very small child on the way to becoming a strong early reader. Indeed, the recent rediscovery and recommitment to evidence-based re…

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  Marc Porter Magee · [email protected]

August 11, 2025 at 11:29 AM

The New Reality Roundup | The Carolina Federal Tax Credit Fight + Expanded Summer | Week 282

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) Dear John, It is week 282 in our new reality and we are thinking about public school enrollment, fertility rates and school choice. “Two-thirds of traditional public schools lost enrollment between 2019 and 2023, according to federal data,” write…

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  Marc Porter Magee · [email protected]

July 28, 2025 at 11:30 AM

The New Reality Roundup | Carrots and Sticks + Evolving Summer | Week 280

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) Dear John, It is week 280 in our new reality and we are thinking about college for all. “In the early 20th century, regardless of your family’s income, you could be fairly confident that enrolling in college would provide a solid bump to your wag…

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  Marc Porter Magee · [email protected]

July 14, 2025 at 11:30 AM

The New Reality Roundup | The College Enrollment Cliff + New Polling | Week 278

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) Dear John, It is week 278 in our new reality and we are thinking about politics and public schools. “Do American public schools promote a biased political perspective—or even indoctrinate students in a certain belief system?” ask Brookings Inst…

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  Jonathan Nikkila · [email protected]

June 18, 2025 at 11:30 AM

Applications are OPEN for 50CAN's Education Policymakers Fellowship

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) Dear John, At 50CAN, we believe that building the future of the education requires elected leaders who serve the public by centering kids’ interests. To that end, we’re focused on supporting committed public servants with the knowledge, relation…

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  Marc Porter Magee · [email protected]

June 16, 2025 at 11:30 AM

The New Reality Roundup | End of Session Progress in LA and CT + Ben Austin Warns Democrats | Week 274

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) Dear John, It's week 274 and we are thinking about how hard decisions get pushed down the road in the absence of strong advocacy and courageous public servants. “Chicago Public Schools operates more than 500 schools and spends about $18,700 per…

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  Marc Porter Magee · [email protected]

June 2, 2025 at 11:29 AM

The New Reality Roundup | A Tweet to the Oval Office + Eye-Popping Polling + Open Enrollment Data | Week 272

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) Dear John, It’s week 272 of our new reality and we are thinking about what goes viral and how to make sure the truth doesn’t get lost along the way. One of the things we have aimed to do in this newsletter and on social media is put a spotlight o…

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  Marc Porter Magee · [email protected]

May 19, 2025 at 11:30 AM

The New Reality Roundup | Implementation of Reading Reforms + Delaware's New School Board | Week 270

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) Dear John, It is week 270 of our new reality and we are thinking about how we talk about the state of ed reform. “What happened to learning as a national priority?” Dana Goldstein asks in a provocative new article ([link removed]) for The New Y…

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  Derrell Bradford · [email protected]

May 8, 2025 at 5:30 PM

In Hawai'i, a win for a clear path to a career that matters

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) Dear John, I’m excited to share a win out of the Aloha State that is an important step forward in HawaiiKidsCAN's work to give every student a clear path to a career. Last week, both the House and Senate passed SB742 ([link removed]) with unanim…

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  Marc Porter Magee · [email protected]

May 5, 2025 at 11:30 AM

The New Reality Roundup | Delaware Funding Formula + Way, Way Outside the Classroom | Week 268

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) Dear John, It is week 268 in our new reality and we are thinking about how we follow the evidence on technology and learning. There is a well-established ([link removed]) positive and significant relationship between time spent reading books an…

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  Marc Porter Magee · [email protected]

April 21, 2025 at 11:30 AM

The New Reality Roundup | Charter Wins in Tennessee + National Voices | Week 266

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) Dear John, It's week 266 in our new reality and we are thinking about what the most recent school choice victory in the Lone Star State means for the state of education reform. The headline in the Wall Street Journal–“School Choice Wins Big in …

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  Jonathan Nikkila · [email protected]

April 17, 2025 at 11:30 AM

Applications are open for the 50CAN FIRE Fellowship

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) Dear John, We’re excited to announce the launch of the second cohort of the Families Invested in Reforming Education (FIRE) fellowship, with applications opening ([link removed]) today. Last year, 50CAN launched the FIRE fellowship, empowerin…

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  Marc Porter Magee & Derrell Bradford · [email protected]

April 14, 2025 at 11:30 AM

Pioneers of Progress | The 2024 CANnual Report

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) Dear John, Education has always been at the heart of America’s democratic experiment. From our country’s founding aspirations to today’s advocacy campaigns, state-led innovation has continuously redefined what is possible in education, demonstra…

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  Marc Porter Magee · [email protected]

April 7, 2025 at 11:30 AM

The New Reality Roundup | Six Wins in Georgia + Secretary Gullickson | Week 264

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) Dear John, It is week 264 of our new reality and we are thinking about math. Once a month, the 50CAN team takes a break from the hectic pace of our advocacy campaigns to do a deep dive into one policy area with an outside expert. Last week, the…

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  Marc Porter Magee · [email protected]

March 24, 2025 at 11:30 AM

The New Reality Roundup | Americans Want Big Change | Week 262

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) Dear John, It's week 262, and we're reflecting on the age-old tension in politics: the pull between staying the course and calling for change. The message you choose often becomes the deciding factor between winning and losing. “I’ve been spend…

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  Derrell Bradford · [email protected]

March 18, 2025 at 11:47 AM

Meet Liz, 50CAN's new VP of Policy

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) [link removed] Dear John, I am thrilled to announce the appointment of Liz Cohen as 50CAN’s new Vice President of Policy. Liz joins us from FutureEd at Georgetown University, our partner in the AdvocacyLabs ([link removed]) series, where she ha…

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  Marc Porter Magee · [email protected]

March 10, 2025 at 11:30 AM

The New Reality Roundup | Five Years of a New Reality | Week 260

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) Dear John, On March 16, 2020, we sent out the first edition of this newsletter with these words: “Today is the beginning of a new educational reality in America.” Even then, in those initial uncertain days, it was clear that this wasn’t simply a tem…

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  Marc Porter Magee · [email protected]

February 24, 2025 at 12:30 PM

The New Reality Roundup | Let's Build An Abundance of Educational Opportunities + Population Drift | Week 258

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) Dear John, It is week 258 in our new reality and we are thinking about what it means to be an ed reformer right now. The term “education reform movement” became a popular catch-all for the group of people dissatisfied with the U.S. education sy…

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  Marc Porter Magee · [email protected]

February 13, 2025 at 12:29 PM

Our new survey: a closer look at Virginia

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) [link removed] Dear John, For the past 15 years, 50CAN has built its work on the belief that the first step in any change effort is listening. From our early days to today’s legislative advocacy, the ideas driving our work have always come from…

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  Marc Porter Magee · [email protected]

February 11, 2025 at 12:30 PM

The views of American parents… now explorable and at your fingertips!

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) Dear John, America is a big, diverse country full of enormously varied educational experiences and perspectives. But far too often, the opinion surveys we cite use small, national samples that obscure more about parents’ views than they reveal. …

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  Marc Porter Magee · [email protected]

February 10, 2025 at 12:30 PM

The New Reality Roundup | Taxes are More Popular than Public Education + Learning from Louisiana | Week 256

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) Dear John, It is week 256 of our new reality and in the week and a half since the release of the 2024 NAEP, we’ve been digging into all the numbers. “The NAEP results make clear the failure of American schools to rebound from Covid,” former com…

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  Derrell Bradford · [email protected]

February 5, 2025 at 1:29 PM

Meet the 2025 Cohort of the National Voices Fellowship

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) [link removed] Dear John, Today, we’re excited to announce ([link removed]) and introduce you to Cohort VII of 50CAN’s National Voices Fellowship. Cohort VII joins the national debate as states and districts make critical decisions about the…

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  Marc Porter Magee and Derrell Bradford · [email protected]

February 4, 2025 at 1:29 PM

It's time to move the needle. Where we go from here...

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) Dear John, The time to build the education system of the future is now. The stakes are high, the need is urgent and parents are demanding education systems that are as vibrant and dynamic as their children. Today, we’re releasing the 50CAN ne…

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  Derrell Bradford · [email protected]

January 30, 2025 at 9:55 PM

Tennessee's Universal ESA Passes

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) Dear John, Earlier today, the Tennessee House passed HB6004 ([link removed]) , new legislation that would establish the state’s first universal Education Savings Account. And minutes ago, the bill was also passed by the Tennessee Senate on a 20-…

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  50CAN: The 50-State Campaign for Achievement Now · [email protected]

January 29, 2025 at 11:46 AM

Special Edition: The New Reality Roundup | The NAEP | Week 255

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) Dear John, Today, the 2024 NAEP results were released. In this special edition of the roundup we will bring you all the facts, reactions and context you need to get up to speed. If you want to get access to all the NAEP results, you can find them…

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  Marc Porter Magee · [email protected]

January 27, 2025 at 12:30 PM

The New Reality Roundup | Expanding Choice in Connecticut + AI Agents Arrive | Week 254

View this email in your browser ([link removed]) Dear John, It’s week 254 of our new reality and we are excited to share our first win of the legislative season. As you will see below, ConnCAN and its partners started the new year off with a bang through a significant expansion of the charter sect…

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  Derrell Bradford · [email protected]

January 16, 2025 at 2:53 PM

5 New Charter Schools Coming to the Nutmeg State

Having trouble with this email? View it in your browser ([link removed]) Dear John, Families of Connecticut have five new reasons to be excited this year. Yesterday, the State Board of Education approved five new charter schools in Stamford, Waterbury, Ansonia and New Haven that will provide f…

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