By Brian A. Jacob. Twenty years ago this week, one of my very first writings on education policy appeared in print. It was an opinion piece I wrote while teaching middle school in East Harlem, in which I described my school’s struggle to effectively use classroom computers. Two decades later, as a professor of economics and education policy, I am engaged in several research projects studying the use and impact of digital learning. More...

By Susan M. Dynarski. Many worry that student loans are a drag on the economy, particularly the housing market. Analyses from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, cited by leading economists, do not provide compelling evidence for this hypothesis. The New York Fed data contain no information about education. More...

By Richard V. Reeves. Student debt is an inequality problem. Borrowing to invest in a good college education is a sound investment for many, if not most, young people. Debt is a problem for those who borrow expensively to attend poor-quality institutions. And the debt problem has a strong racial dimension. More...

By Jack Karsten. Education in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) is a priority for policymakers that want the United States to remain competitive in these fields. While this discussion has gone on for some time, the rapid pace of technological advancement makes STEM education an increasingly urgent topic. More...

By Allegra Pocinki and Richard V. Reeves. The final months of Obama’s historic terms of office as America’s first black president are taking place against the backdrop of an ugly Republican nominating race, and to the sound of ugly language on race from Donald Trump. Progress towards racial equality is indeed proceeding in faltering steps, as the president himself made clear in a commencement speech, one of his last as president, to the graduating class of Howard University. More...

By Dick Startz. When teachers leave teaching, where do they go next? Are they getting good jobs outside of education? Or are subsequent jobs more of a lateral move? Or do teachers who quit teaching also quit working. More...

By Daniel Araya and Christopher Sulavik. The common assumption today is that robots will soon drive our cars, manage our work, and manufacture our goods. But what is the reality of disruptive innovation in U.S. manufacturing? And how should schools educate skilled labor for this new era. More...