Reference map

37 experts who ranked ideas for fixing U.S. schools

Panelists from the New York Times Upshot survey published September 28, 2026. Scores (1–10) rate how useful their advice is likely to be for raising K–12 reading and math achievement.

Source: 30 Ideas for Fixing U.S. Schools, Ranked by Experts

Dominique Baker

Associate Professor, University of Delaware · previously SMU

Higher-ed access, financial aid, admissions, and campus climate. Senate testimony on student loans. AERA and AEFP early-career awards.

Papers / talks

Work in AERJ, EEPA, and Educational Researcher on aid, admissions lotteries, and racial category use in research.

Network

Vanderbilt Ph.D., UVA, Annenberg Institute, National Academies Board on Higher Education.

Score 5. Strong on equity and policy design; thinner on K–12 classroom levers.

Ask

  1. How should K–12 reading and math interventions be designed so they raise later college access?
  2. What accountability metrics would not simply reproduce existing racial gaps?

Brendan Bartanen

Assistant Professor, University of Virginia · previously Texas A&M

Principal and teacher labor markets, turnover, evaluation, and educator diversity.

Papers / talks

Principal turnover and achievement (EEPA); strategic teacher retention (AERJ); principal race and teacher diversity (JHR).

Network

Vanderbilt Peabody, Jason Grissom, Tennessee Education Research Alliance.

Score 8. Directly relevant to leadership and teacher quality.

Ask

  1. What principal practices most reliably raise reading and math scores in high-poverty schools?
  2. How should evaluation be redesigned so it does not push out effective teachers?

Phil Capin

Assistant Professor, Harvard GSE · BRIDGES Lab · former special-education teacher

Reading development and interventions for struggling readers and English learners.

Papers / talks

Meta-analyses of Tier 2 reading interventions; dyslexia intervention reviews; motivation-plus-word-reading trials.

Network

UT Austin (Vaughn group), IES / NIH / OSEP grants.

Score 9. Matches the survey’s top ideas: tutoring and the science of reading.

Ask

  1. Which science-of-reading components fail at scale, and why?
  2. How should tutoring be sequenced with core instruction for English learners?

Prudence Carter

Dowling Professor of Sociology, Brown · former Berkeley GSE dean · ASA president 2023–24

Race, class, culture, and educational inequality in the U.S. and abroad.

Papers / talks

Keepin’ It Real; Stubborn Roots; Closing the Opportunity Gap (ed. with Welner).

Network

Columbia Ph.D., Stanford and Harvard faculty, National Academy of Education.

Score 6. Deep on opportunity structures; less on specific instructional levers.

Ask

  1. Which identity-related classroom practices raise measured achievement without lowering engagement?
  2. How should accountability treat schools serving highly mobile or culturally distinct populations?

Joseph Cimpian

Professor of Economics and Education Policy, NYU · previously Illinois

English-learner policy, gender and STEM gaps, LGBTQ youth data quality.

Papers / talks

Teacher bias and math ability (Educational Researcher); gender gaps in Science and AERJ.

Network

Stanford Ph.D., REACH, frequent co-author with Sarah Lubienski.

Score 8. Strong causal work on classification, bias, and subgroup achievement.

Ask

  1. What EL reclassification rules would raise long-run achievement first?
  2. How large are teacher-perception biases relative to curriculum or tutoring effects?

Sarah Cohodes

Associate Professor of Public Policy, University of Michigan · NBER · previously Teachers College

Charter schools, school choice, and programs for high-achieving students.

Papers / talks

Boston charters and college outcomes; charter replication; STEM summer programs.

Network

Harvard Ph.D., J-PAL, Blueprint Labs; collaborators include Angrist, Dynarski, Pathak.

Score 8. Direct lottery evidence on school models that raise achievement.

Ask

  1. Which charter features transfer to traditional public schools at reasonable cost?
  2. How should advanced-course access expand without recreating tracking harms?

Thomas Dee

Barnett Family Professor, Stanford GSE · Hoover · SIEPR · NBER

Causal evaluation of accountability, incentives, phone bans, immigration enforcement, and AP coursework.

Papers / talks

NCLB-era reform studies; recent national phone-ban research; program-evaluation methods essays.

Network

University of Maryland Ph.D., UVA faculty, Gardner Center director.

Score 9. Broad toolkit on effectiveness versus cost.

Ask

  1. Which accountability designs still move scores after the NCLB backlash?
  2. What fidelity is required before tutoring or reading mandates beat “done poorly”?

Susan Dynarski

Professor of Education, Harvard GSE · previously Michigan · NBER

Financial aid design, charters, college access, and class size. Frequent congressional testimony.

Papers / talks

Adams Scholarship; Boston charters with Angrist et al.; HAIL scholarship experiment.

Network

MIT Ph.D., Michigan Education Policy Initiative, close work with Cohodes and Kane.

Score 8. Excellent on targeting resources and later-life outcomes.

Ask

  1. How should extra per-pupil dollars be restricted so they raise reading and math?
  2. What aid or information interventions pair best with K–12 tutoring?

Anna J. Egalite

Professor, NC State · Hoover and FSU visiting fellowships · Harvard PEPG postdoc

School choice, teacher–student race match, principals, and family background.

Papers / talks

Wallace Foundation principal synthesis with Grissom; own-race teacher effects; voucher reviews with Wolf.

Network

University of Arkansas Ph.D., Notre Dame M.Ed., school-choice research circuit.

Score 8. Directly on choice, representation, and leadership.

Ask

  1. Under what conditions do vouchers produce academic gains rather than enrollment shifts?
  2. How large is the return to teacher–student demographic match versus curriculum or tutoring?

Dan Goldhaber

Director, CALDER at AIR · CEDR, University of Washington

Teacher quality, licensure, value-added, pay, and the path from K–12 to college.

Papers / talks

Certification and achievement; National Board effects; teacher-quality gaps between advantaged and disadvantaged students.

Network

Cornell labor economics, former AEFP president, NCTQ board, former school-board member.

Score 9. Core work on the teacher-quality production function.

Ask

  1. Which licensure or pay reforms most efficiently raise teacher quality in high-poverty schools?
  2. How stable is value-added once working conditions are measured?

Eric Hanushek

Hanna Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution · Yidan Prize 2021

Teacher effectiveness, accountability, class size, and the economic returns to cognitive skills.

Papers / talks

The Knowledge Capital of Nations; foundational value-added measurement; 26 books and 300-plus articles.

Network

MIT Ph.D., NBER, CESifo, former CBO deputy director and National Board for Education Sciences chair.

Score 9. Foundational on what predicts achievement and growth.

Ask

  1. Given current score declines, which single resource reallocation would you make first?
  2. How should states measure pre-K quality so it is not subsidized daycare?

Douglas Harris

Economics chair and Schlieder Chair, Tulane · ERA-New Orleans · REACH

Charters, value-added, teacher quality, and city-scale reform after Katrina.

Papers / talks

Charter School City; Value-Added Measures in Education; teacher training and student achievement.

Network

Michigan State Ph.D., Wisconsin faculty, Brookings, APPAM award.

Score 9. City-scale evidence plus measurement expertise.

Ask

  1. Which New Orleans portfolio elements generalized beyond that city?
  2. How should states pair support with accountability so F schools actually improve?

Heather Hill

Hazen-Nicoli Professor, Harvard GSE

Math teacher knowledge, instructional quality, professional development, and coaching.

Papers / talks

Learning Policy with David Cohen; MKT and MQI measurement systems.

Network

University of Michigan Ph.D., National Center for Teacher Effectiveness, NAEd.

Score 9. Directly on curriculum-plus-teacher-practice.

Ask

  1. What PD dosage is required before reading or curriculum mandates change practice?
  2. Can automated observation tools replace expensive human scoring at scale?

Ilana Horn

Professor of Mathematics Education, Vanderbilt Peabody

Secondary math teaching, teacher workplace learning, ambitious and equitable instruction.

Papers / talks

Strength in Numbers; Motivated; Teacher Learning of Ambitious and Equitable Mathematics Instruction.

Network

Berkeley Ph.D., University of Washington faculty, AERA Fellow.

Score 7. Deep on how teachers change practice; less on large-scale score production.

Ask

  1. What school conditions make high-quality curriculum actually get taught?
  2. How should teacher collaboration time be structured so it raises math achievement?

Huriya Jabbar

Professor of Education Policy, USC Rossier

School-choice markets, competition, teacher job search, and housing–school links.

Papers / talks

Papers in AERJ, EEPA, and Sociology of Education on choice costs and teacher networks.

Network

Berkeley Ph.D., NEPC, REACH, AERA early-career award.

Score 7. Strong on markets and politics; more skeptical of choice as an achievement lever.

Ask

  1. When does competition raise achievement versus merely redistribute students?
  2. How do culture-war pressures change the feasibility of reading or curriculum mandates?

Tom Kane

Gale Professor, Harvard GSE · Faculty Director, Center for Education Policy Research

Teacher effectiveness, accountability design, financial aid, and pandemic recovery. Directed the Gates MET project.

Papers / talks

Identifying effective teachers from job performance; MET project; recovery analyses.

Network

Harvard Ph.D., Clinton CEA, UCLA and Kennedy School faculty, Brookings and Hoover visits.

Score 10. Built much of the evidence base the survey summarizes.

Ask

  1. After MET, what teacher-evaluation design should a district adopt tomorrow?
  2. What is the cheapest mix of tutoring, curriculum, and accountability that still moves NAEP?

James Kim

Thompson Professor, Harvard GSE · READS Lab

Scalable literacy interventions, content knowledge, engagement, and summer reading.

Papers / talks

MORE content-literacy intervention (WWC-rated); READS summer studies; teacher PD experiments.

Network

Harvard Ed.D., long district partnerships including Charlotte-Mecklenburg.

Score 9. Direct experimental work on literacy at scale.

Ask

  1. How much domain knowledge versus phonics is required for lasting comprehension gains?
  2. What district conditions predict successful scale-up of literacy interventions?

Cory Koedel

Professor of Economics and Public Policy, University of Missouri

Value-added, teacher preparation, pensions, curriculum, and school finance.

Papers / talks

Reviews of value-added modeling; teacher-prep program differences; race and college success.

Network

UC San Diego Ph.D., CALDER, NCTQ technical panels, Missouri education agencies.

Score 8. Technical backbone for teacher-quality and curriculum claims.

Ask

  1. Which curriculum materials show the cleanest gains after accounting for student sorting?
  2. How should pension design keep effective late-career teachers?

Matthew Kraft

Professor of Education and Economics, Brown · NBER · former White House CEA economist

Teacher labor markets, tutoring scale-up, working conditions, and effect-size interpretation. Former classroom teacher.

Papers / talks

Coaching, evaluation, tutoring, and instructional time; quoted in the Times piece on implementation.

Network

Harvard Ed.D., Stanford, Annenberg Institute, J-PAL.

Score 10. The tutoring-plus-implementation voice the article highlights.

Ask

  1. What staffing model makes high-dosage tutoring sustainable without thinning teacher quality?
  2. Which working-condition changes have the highest achievement return per dollar?

Sarah Winchell Lenhoff

Professor, Wayne State · Detroit PEER · former NYC teacher

Absenteeism, school-choice access, and policy implementation in urban systems.

Papers / talks

Chronic-absenteeism studies; Detroit choice geography; Rethinking Chronic Absenteeism with Singer.

Network

Michigan State Ph.D., Education Trust-Midwest, REACH, NEPC.

Score 7. Strong on attendance and access preconditions.

Ask

  1. Which attendance interventions raise test scores, not just days enrolled?
  2. How should choice systems stop sorting disadvantaged students into the weakest schools?

Sarah Lubienski

Professor, Indiana University Bloomington · previously Illinois

Math achievement gaps by gender, race, SES, and school sector; teacher perceptions.

Papers / talks

NAEP analyses; gender-gap development with Cimpian; The Public School Advantage.

Network

Long collaboration with Joseph Cimpian; IES and NCTM work.

Score 8. Directly on math achievement patterns and classroom mechanisms.

Ask

  1. Which classroom practices close early math gaps without lowering the ceiling?
  2. How much of the public–private achievement difference is curriculum versus selection?

Robert Maranto

21st Century Chair in Leadership, University of Arkansas · editor, Journal of School Choice

School choice, homeschooling, school boards, and education politics. Former school-board and charter-board member.

Papers / talks

Fifteen-plus books including School Board Confidential, homeschooling volumes, and Obama-era reform studies.

Network

Minnesota Ph.D., Villanova, Arkansas school-choice cluster.

Score 6. Broad reform experience; thinner large-scale causal achievement portfolio.

Ask

  1. What school-board changes are required before the panel’s top ideas can be implemented?
  2. When do culture-war conflicts destroy implementation quality?

Sarah Novicoff

Research Fellow, Public Policy Institute of California · Stanford Ph.D. · former L.A. teacher

Early literacy, English learners, instructional time, and virtual tutoring.

Papers / talks

Virtual tutoring RCT; time-in-school synthesis with Kraft; California EL studies with Reardon.

Network

Stanford (Dee, Reardon, Loeb), Annenberg working papers.

Score 8. Already producing literacy and time-use evidence the slump debate needs.

Ask

  1. What state literacy-policy features distinguish districts that recovered reading scores?
  2. How should EL reclassification interact with science-of-reading mandates?

Harry Anthony Patrinos

Education Reform chair, University of Arkansas · formerly World Bank Senior Adviser, Education

Returns to schooling, school-based management, public–private partnerships, and learning outcomes.

Papers / talks

Harmonized Learning Outcomes / Human Capital Index; World Bank volumes on PPPs and accountability.

Network

University of Sussex doctorate, global operations experience, now the Arkansas department.

Score 8. International comparative evidence on what raises learning at scale.

Ask

  1. Which overseas accountability or PPP designs have the best chance in U.S. high-poverty districts?
  2. How should the U.S. measure “learning poverty” the way the World Bank does?

Morgan Polikoff

Professor, USC Rossier · USC EdPolicy Hub · Arnold Ventures fellow 2026–27

Standards, curriculum alignment, assessment, and COVID-era family experiences.

Papers / talks

Beyond Standards; textbook-to-Common-Core alignment; instructional-alignment studies.

Network

Penn Ph.D., large NSF and IES grants, AERA early-career and public-communication awards.

Score 9. The curriculum-and-standards specialist the panel ranked as high value.

Ask

  1. What adoption and professional-learning sequence gets high-quality materials used daily?
  2. How much of the post-2015 slump is curriculum fragmentation versus other factors?

Sean Reardon

Professor of Poverty and Inequality in Education, Stanford · SIEPR

Segregation, achievement gaps, and measurement of educational opportunity. Built SEDA.

Papers / talks

Racial and SES gap trends; Stanford Education Data Archive; methods for measuring inequality.

Network

Harvard Ed.D., National Academy of Education, Carnegie and William T. Grant fellowships.

Score 8. Best available map of where achievement is failing.

Ask

  1. After accounting for segregation and poverty, which district practices still close gaps faster?
  2. How should NAEP or state tests be redesigned so they do not hide implementation failure?

Marguerite Roza

Research Professor and Director, Edunomics Lab, Georgetown

School finance, weighted student funding, and expenditure transparency. Quoted in the Times piece on implementation.

Papers / talks

Educational Economics; NERD$ school-level spending data; ESSER expenditure analyses.

Network

University of Washington Ph.D., former Gates adviser, CRPE.

Score 8. Can tell whether “more money” will actually reach classrooms.

Ask

  1. Which expenditure codes most reliably predict reading and math gains after poverty is held constant?
  2. How should funding formulas let high-poverty schools bid for stronger teachers?

Jack Schneider

Allen Distinguished Professor, UMass Amherst · Center for Education Policy · Have You Heard

How school quality is measured and perceived; politics of reform; accountability alternatives.

Papers / talks

Beyond Test Scores; A Wolf at the Schoolhouse Door; histories of grading and AP.

Network

Massachusetts Consortium for Innovative Education Assessment; frequent public essays.

Score 6. Excellent on why reforms fail politically; more skeptical of score maximization.

Ask

  1. What non-test indicators still predict later academic success?
  2. How can districts keep public support for tutoring and curriculum mandates?

Beth Schueler

Associate Professor, Stanford GSE · previously UVA

Low-performing school and district improvement, state takeovers, and the politics of turnaround.

Papers / talks

Takeover and turnaround evaluations; pandemic reopening politics; civic-competency studies.

Network

Harvard Ed.D., Kennedy School postdoc, Virginia agency partnerships.

Score 8. Directly on the “underperforming schools must change” idea.

Ask

  1. Which takeover or partnership models raised scores without destroying local capacity?
  2. How should states sequence support versus sanctions after a school is labeled F?

Jonathan Schweig

Senior scientist, RAND · former math teacher and Math for America director

Measurement of instruction, classroom climate, and teacher evaluation.

Papers / talks

TNTP rubric validation; school and classroom climate measures; American Mathematics Educator Survey.

Network

UCLA Ph.D. and statistics M.S., Stanford M.A.

Score 8. Measurement infrastructure for the “done properly” caveat.

Ask

  1. Which observation or student-survey instruments best predict later achievement gains?
  2. How should states use climate data without turning it into compliance theater?

Jeremy Singer

Assistant Professor, University of Michigan-Flint · former Detroit teacher

Absenteeism, choice geography, housing, and racial inequality in urban systems.

Papers / talks

Detroit attendance and choice papers; Rethinking Chronic Absenteeism with Lenhoff.

Network

Wayne State Ph.D., Detroit PEER, EPIC, REACH.

Score 7. Strong on attendance and sorting problems that blunt other interventions.

Ask

  1. What mix of transportation, housing, and school practice cuts absenteeism and raises scores?
  2. How should choice systems be constrained so they do not increase stratification?

James Soland

Associate Professor, University of Virginia · NWEA affiliated fellow

Educational measurement, test and survey disengagement, and how scoring choices change estimated effects.

Papers / talks

Measurement papers featured by CASEL, Brookings, and the Times; state technical-advisory work.

Network

Stanford Ph.D., RAND, California Legislative Analyst’s Office.

Score 7. Essential for knowing whether the slump is fully real.

Ask

  1. How much of the decade-long slump is learning loss versus changing test engagement?
  2. Which climate or SEL measures add information without inviting gaming?

Katharine Strunk

Dean and Weiss Professor, Penn GSE · previously EPIC director at Michigan State

Teacher unions and contracts, evaluation and pay, accountability, and portfolio models.

Papers / talks

Labor-market and contract studies; COVID recovery advising in Michigan; district partnerships in L.A. and Philadelphia.

Network

Stanford Ph.D., USC faculty, past AEFP president, REACH.

Score 9. Knows the contractual constraints that decide whether recommendations happen.

Ask

  1. Which contract provisions most block targeted teacher pay and dismissal?
  2. How should recovery dollars have been written so they produced lasting achievement?

Lori Taylor

Professor and department head, Bush School, Texas A&M

School finance, regional wage adjustments, district efficiency, and teacher compensation. Quoted in the Times on pre-K quality.

Papers / talks

NCES Comparable Wage Index; Texas Smart Schools Initiative; finance-efficiency studies.

Network

Rochester Ph.D., Dallas Fed, REL Southwest.

Score 8. The cost-adjustment expert needed to interpret the survey’s cost ratings.

Ask

  1. After wage and need adjustments, which spending categories still predict achievement?
  2. How should states price high-quality pre-K so weak programs cannot capture the funds?

Chris Torres

Associate Professor, University of Michigan · former NYC teacher

Teacher careers and turnover in choice and accountability systems. Quoted in the Times on student engagement.

Papers / talks

No-excuses charter teacher turnover; professional identity; hiring-system studies.

Network

NYU Ph.D., Michigan State and Montclair faculty, UCEA.

Score 7. Ground-level view of why teachers stay or leave when reforms hit.

Ask

  1. What hiring and induction practices keep effective teachers after pay rises?
  2. How do portfolio or choice systems change the daily work that produces achievement?

Martin West

Academic dean and Shattuck Professor, Harvard GSE · editor-in-chief, Education Next

Politics of K–12 policy, accountability, noncognitive skills, and international comparisons. Massachusetts Board of ESE and NAGB member.

Papers / talks

Noncognitive returns to schooling; class size; test-based retention; NCLB politics.

Network

Harvard Ph.D., Brown, Brookings, Senate HELP advising, PEPG.

Score 9. Bridges research, state boards, and federal politics.

Ask

  1. What accountability redesign is both politically viable and score-relevant?
  2. How should NAEP incorporate noncognitive outcomes without diluting academic measures?

Patrick Wolf

Distinguished Professor and School Choice chair, University of Arkansas

Experimental and longitudinal evaluations of voucher programs in D.C., Milwaukee, and Louisiana.

Papers / talks

DC Opportunity Scholarship results; Milwaukee and Louisiana studies; civic-values and choice volumes.

Network

Harvard Ph.D., Columbia and Georgetown faculty, School Choice Demonstration Project.

Score 7. Leading voucher researcher; useful dissent from the panel’s low voucher ranking.

Ask

  1. Which voucher design features produce the academic gains most studies have not found?
  2. If vouchers do not raise test scores, what other outcome would justify their cost?