Agora Education Research

09/18/2026

NCES, the federal agency that produces the nation’s education statistics, is considering major changes to how it collects and reports data. Agora recently shared its response to the American Statistical Association’s proposal for redesigning NCES, because these decisions will affect how the country understands student learning for years to come.

One of our biggest concerns is the growing break in long‑running data series. When a data collection changes too much, the results can no longer be compared to past years. This creates gaps that make it harder to see real trends in student achievement, school conditions, and equity. Once those gaps appear, they cannot be repaired.

Many Agora members previously worked at NCES and understand how these collections operate. Their experience is essential to building a modern system that protects the ability to track change over time and gives families, educators, and communities reliable information.

We believe Agora should be part of the national conversation about how NCES evolves. If you are interested in how federal education data shapes policy and public understanding, we invite you to read our full response.

Read the full Agora response:
https://edevaluator.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/ASA-Vision-Feedback-AgoraResponse_20260909.pdf

09/17/2026

Families and educators know that young children learn best when we build on the strengths they already have.

For more than sixty years, Head Start has supported children and families with approaches grounded in research and community experience. One of the strongest findings in early childhood education is that children who grow up speaking more than one language benefit when programs support both languages. It helps them learn, strengthens family connections, and sets a strong foundation for school.

A recent article from The 74 explains why bilingual learning matters and how proposed changes to Head Start rules could affect programs across the country. It also highlights decades of research showing that young children thrive when their home languages are part of their learning.

At Agora, we work to preserve the knowledge behind federal education data and support the researchers who help interpret it. Articles like this remind us how important that expertise is for understanding what children need and how programs can serve them well.

You can read the full piece here:

09/15/2026

European education leaders are taking a close look at the PISA 2025 results and asking important questions about how AI is affecting reading and learning.
The European EdTech Alliance shares how different countries are responding and what they see as the next steps for supporting students.

At Agora Education Research, we care deeply about the quality of the evidence that guides decisions in schools and communities. As AI tools become more common, families and educators need clear guidance on how to choose tools that truly support learning.

Next month, we are hosting a webinar on what questions schools should ask vendors before purchasing AI tools. This article offers helpful context for that conversation.

Read the article here:

European Edtech Alliance: Reading, AI and the policy responses across Europe.

09/11/2026

We’re looking for speakers who can help educators make sense of AI tools.

Agora Research Academy is hosting a sixty‑minute webinar in October, and we’re hoping to feature one or two people working inside AI edtech. Product teams, founders, learning scientists, researchers, and people in procurement or partnerships are all welcome.

Educators are being asked to evaluate tools they didn’t build, using evidence that’s often hard to interpret. You see these conversations from the other side, and we want to bring that perspective forward.

Here’s what we hope you can talk about:
• What schools ask you for vs. what they should ask
• What evidence is realistic to produce at your stage
• How to design a pilot that gives usable data
• Where conversations break down and how to improve them

This session is free, non‑commercial, live and recorded. You’ll be speaking about the category and the process, not your product. We review slides together on a prep call and credit you in the post‑event write‑up.

If this sounds like you — or someone you know — please reach out to Lisa Kessler at [email protected] by Tuesday, September 15. Reposts help us reach the right people.

09/10/2026

📈 New findings on the loss of federal education data expertise

We just released a first look at Agora’s survey of former employees from the National Center for Education Statistics, the federal office that collects and reports national information about schools. The results show how much experience and technical knowledge disappeared during the reductions in 2025.

These are the people who kept national education data accurate and reliable. Their departures created gaps that affect how the country understands learning, equity, and school experiences.

This first look is an important step in documenting what was lost and what it will take to rebuild a strong federal education statistics system.

You can read the full story in this month’s Data Currents. The Subscribe button at the top left makes it easy to follow future issues.

🔗 http://eepurl.com/dRYRXV1t3C

09/09/2026

School funding affects opportunity, equity, and the daily experience of students, but it can be hard to understand where school dollars come from and why spending looks so different across communities. In his new blog, Tom Snyder breaks down the mix of local, state, and federal funding, explains why comparisons can be tricky, and shows how context shapes what districts are able to provide. It is a helpful guide for families and educators who want to make sense of what they see in their own schools.

Read the full post:

A clear guide to where school dollars come from, how they are spent, and why context matters.

09/08/2026

The latest PISA results are getting a lot of attention, and for good reason. Chalkbeat reports that the United States moved up in the international rankings this year, but mostly because other countries saw larger drops in performance. In reality, scores here and around the world have been declining for more than a decade.

For families and educators, this is a reminder that rankings do not always tell the full story. Understanding student learning requires looking closely at the data behind the headlines, including how tests are administered, how samples are collected, and what long‑term trends show.

At Agora, we work to strengthen the public data systems that help communities make sense of information like this. When data is clear and reliable, everyone is better equipped to understand what results mean for students and schools.

Read more from Chalkbeat:

PISA international test results show concerning global declines in student learning. U.S. students posted some of their lowest scores ever in math and reading, but other countries are doing worse.

09/04/2026

The new school year is underway, and many classrooms are starting the year with some big shifts in how technology is used in K12 schools.

Linda Hamilton’s newest Agora blog takes a closer look at what teachers and students may experience this fall, including phone‑free school days, new limits on social media access for minors, and growing guidance around the use of generative AI. Early reactions from teachers suggest that these changes are already making a difference. One educator shared that “the school day has improved DRAMATICALLY… We FINALLY have the kids’ attention again.”

Families, educators, and anyone who supports students may find this piece helpful as we settle into the rhythm of the year. It offers a clear look at the policies taking shape and what they could mean for daily life in schools.

Read the full blog:

A number of state and district policies will have an impact on technology use in the K-12 classrooms. This blog runs through recent legal and policy changes in cell phone, social media, and generative artificial intelligence usage for students that are intended to help keep students safe online and....

09/03/2026

If you’ve ever relied on school data to understand how students are doing, you’ve benefited from the work of NCES.

Bruno Manno’s new article explains what happened to NCES in 2025 and why rebuilding it matters for families, educators, and communities. He also shares a bit of history about how NCES was strengthened in the past and how it can be modernized again.

It’s a clear, engaging read for anyone interested in how national education data help us understand students’ experiences and outcomes.

Read the article:

In early 2025, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) was largely dismantled. The Trump administration, acting through the Elon Musk–led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), cut NCES’s federal staff from 103 employees to three, removed its commissioner, and canceled roughly t...

08/31/2026

AI tools are showing up in classrooms everywhere, and families want to know which ones actually help kids learn. Agora Research Academy is hosting a free webinar in October to explore how to tell what works and what doesn’t.

We’re looking for two guest speakers to help guide the conversation:

• An evaluation expert who can explain how to tell whether an AI tool’s “evidence” is trustworthy and what questions schools should ask before adopting it.

• A practitioner who is reviewing AI tools in real classrooms and can share what’s been helpful, what hasn’t, and how they decide what to use. A short demo of a tool you like is welcome.

Working title: Does This AI Tool Actually Work? A Toolkit for Evaluating Classroom AI
Date: October 13 or 20 at 12 PM ET
Format: Free, one‑hour session on Google Meet. Recording available afterward.

This event is open to everyone — educators, families, students, and anyone curious about how AI is being used in schools.

If you know someone who would be a great fit message Lisa at [email protected]. If you’d like to be considered yourself, reach out directly.