Education Reform Now

Some thoughts as we close #HispanicHeritageMonth: I’m a first-generation American and the son of Guatemalan immigrants. If there was one mantra drilled into me from day one, it was “education, education, education.” In our house, it was the bridge to a different life. Every late shift my parents worked, every sacrifice, pointed to one lesson: study hard, serve others, and leave the ladder down for those coming behind you. For millions of Hispanic & Latino families, that story still holds. Education is the pathway to the American Dream, the chance to rise above circumstance and write a different future. Our heritage is full of people who treated school as the great equalizer and fought to make it so. Sylvia Méndez, at eight years old, helped end school segregation in California and clear a path for Brown v. Board. María Chinchilla Recinos, a teacher whose 1944 protest against dictatorship sparked the October Revolution in my parents' home country, reminds us that teaching can be civic bravery. And Jaime Escalante, immortalized in the film Stand and Deliver, showed a tough East LA school what high expectations plus opportunity can do: “If we expect kids to be winners, they will be winners.” As we wrap the month, the charge is clear: build a 21st-century education system worthy of our parents’ faith and our children’s future. The next generation of Hispanic and Latino students to rise from their circumstances shouldn’t be the exceptions—they should be the rule. They’re innovators, changemakers, civic leaders, and entrepreneurs in the making.

Next up in our ALI Coalition Member Spotlight series is Education Reform Now and their Director of K-12 Policy Andrew Epifanio, Ed.M.! Education Reform Now (ERN) knows that evidence is the cornerstone of effective policy. In order to build evidence about what works, investments need to be made in research and development to test new ideas and iterate on existing ones. This is how countless fields advance, from medicine to engineering to technology. Education is no different. ERN has been a steadfast supporter of innovation in education and they are glad to work with ALI to explore essential questions for improving education: What works? For whom? And under what conditions? ERN is hopeful that the chorus of voices calling for a renewed investment in education R&D will herald more effective and lasting education reform. #educationresearch #innovation #education #edtech

In interviews with principals and superintendents from high-performing, high-poverty schools across the country, one theme stood out: data is key—not just for instruction, but for interventions, professional development, family engagement, and more. ERN Senior Policy Analyst Rianna Saslow investigates how schools are using data to change outcomes for students via The 74 Media. https://lnkd.in/gjiSEmBc

Great visualizations from Education Reform Now on where students really go to college. "You would not know it based on media coverage of a small number of highly rejective colleges that enroll a tiny portion of all undergraduates, but most college students in the United States attend a public college or university that admits most or all applicants." 🟢 76% attend a public institution 🟢 89% attend an institution that admits more than half of all applicants 🟢 2% attend private college or university that accepts less than 25% of applicants https://lnkd.in/g5Packxb

The national conversation about college admissions often centers on a few highly selective institutions—but that’s not where most students are. 📊 In reality, 76% of undergraduates attend public colleges, and 89% go to institutions that accept most applicants. A new blog post from ERN Policy Director James Murphy highlights six powerful charts that reframe the narrative around college access—and call attention to where policy and investment are truly needed. Read more! ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/drVNuTnW

Discover what works! Dive into the fourth brief of ERN’s #SpotlightSchools series highlighting 34 high-performing, high-poverty schools in Georgia. Explore the strategies that are driving student success, and discover policy recommendations that can support all Georgia students in achieving academic excellence! ➡️ Data is crucial for informing instruction, monitoring progress, and providing targeted support to students and educators. ➡️ Small group instruction helps all students access personalized supports. ➡️ Professional development, professional learning communities, and instructional coaches are vital to developing effective educators. https://lnkd.in/gDVv8VyX

“As Title I turns 60, we have a choice. We can protect and strengthen this essential pillar of our education system, or we can allow its purpose to be eroded.” In our latest blog post, ERN K-12 Senior Policy Analyst Rianna Saslow breaks down what Title I has achieved—and why it’s under serious threat 👇👇 https://lnkd.in/gTkCzbXh 

With schools making real progress, D.C. students need stability, not setbacks. Will Congress stand by and let this progress be undone, or will it protect D.C. students? Read my latest piece in The74 about why the House of Representatives must pass the S.1077 - District of Columbia Local Funds Act, 2025. https://lnkd.in/de3VBHCw

#ICYMI: Education Reform Now's Southern Region President Alisha Thomas Searcy made sure to bring attention to the student groups who will be negatively impacted by the Trump Administration's recent Executive Order to dismantle the Department of #Education, saying, "Shutting down the Department of Education will have a tremendous impact on #students, educators and families...My biggest concerns are for our most vulnerable students, we're talking about low income students, [and] students with disabilities..." WATCH⤵️ https://lnkd.in/gzvHdXuX

“I don’t know what element of federal government I want chaos to be in, but I think that one of the last places is going to be federal student aid, because that directly affects just millions and millions of people in a very real, like paying for college and managing their loans," said ERN Director of Career Pathways and Postsecondary Education, James Murphy via The Hill. https://lnkd.in/ehy-y8GM