Education Policy

Education Policy

Educators and policymakers need supportive policies to improve schools. We partner with states and districts to develop those policies and advocate their adoption at the district, state and federal levels. In papers, blog posts and presentations nationally, we highlight good policy practices.

Recent Education Policy Projects

Maryland

We partnered with Maryland as it undertook a comprehensive re-envisioning of both its assessment and accountability systems. The Center helped develop and coordinate a broad-based task force to help define policy priorities, which we documented in a comprehensive report that outlined clear recommendations to improve assessment and accountability.

National Assessment Governing Board

Scott Marion is one of three measurement professionals on the 26-member board that sets policy for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the “Nation’s Report Card.” In this role, he helps support the technical quality of the assessment and advocates for strong policies to support it.

Policy briefs, blogs and webinars

We work to build support for federal and state policies to support high-quality assessment and accountability systems that ensure that all students have a fair opportunity to learn meaningful content and skills. Two short papers, “The Case for State Testing” and “The Case for Statewide School Accountability Systems,” are recent examples of this work.

Recent Education Policy Blog Posts and Papers

Education leadership using assessment and accountability data to improve decision making

Leading Education Systems With Purpose in an Incoherent Environment

Education leaders are often asked to make coherent decisions in an incoherent environment. But decisions that fit together logically are important.
August 5, 2026

Rethinking Career-Readiness Measures

RILS 2026 grapples with measuring students’ career-readiness. It’s especially important now, with AI, shifts in the economy, and persistent skills gaps.
July 29, 2026

How Can School Accountability Reflect the Purposes of Education?

To decide what accountability systems should measure, we must articulate the purposes of schooling. Then we can build systems that reflect them.
July 22, 2026
Fourth graders work together in a classroom.

Making Sense of Achievement Trends

We should pay attention to achievement trends, but recognize that trends rarely have a single, universal explanation.
June 24, 2026

Reclaiming Accountability: From Labels to Learning

Accountability identifies schools that need support, but it must do better to help educators understand the problem and what to do next.
May 20, 2026

Evaluating the Impact of Statewide School Accountability Systems

Are school accountability systems working as intended? As the U.S. Education Department offers states flexibility, it's time to examine the evidence.
May 13, 2026

Measuring Durable Competencies: Right-Sizing Expectations

Pressure to measure durable competencies is surging. But it's challenging: there are limitations to what the data actually tell us.
April 29, 2026

Supporting Systemic Changes in High School Math

Making deep changes in high school math assessment requires sustained support. These two new guides for state and district leaders can help.
April 15, 2026

Assessment Options for States: Potential Designs With Increased Federal Flexibility

This paper explores the potential opportunities and risks of several assessment options that could be available with more federal flexibility.
April 2, 2026

What We’re Up To: Center Presentations at NCME & AERA

Check out our lineup of fascinating presentations at two of the assessment field’s big conferences, NCME and AERA.
April 1, 2026
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