In the wake of Covid-19, the U.S. pre-K–12 education system needs more than a refresh. We need to think anew.
This brief recommends the means through federal policy to bring critical, effective instructional and emotional supports to millions of teachers and their students—for a price tag the country can not only afford, but sustain long-term.
We base our recommendations on lessons learned through our national Opportunity Culture initiative, in dozens of districts, with thousands of educators, for approximately 85,000 students this year alone.
Though other improvements are certainly warranted, our recommendations:
- Are high-impact and helpful for all students—but focused on those most in need
- Are sustainable for the long term
- Help address the looming teacher shortage
- Put more power, more time, more support—and more pay—into the hands of classroom teachers.
We recommend that federal policymakers do the following:
- Scale Up Multi-Classroom & Multi-School Leadership
- Pay Teacher Residents, within Regular Budgets
- Infuse Schools with Tutoring, Permanently
- Surround Students with Mental Health Support
- Support Development of a High-Quality Lesson Bank
- Prioritize Higher Base Pay
Educators and students need proven solutions that can bring them hope, joy, and educational success. The way is clear; we call on our leaders to provide the will to bring opportunity anew to our country’s schools.
