Albert Shanker Institute

ASI Fellow Tiffany Broadbent analyzes how English learners are rarely the starting point of policy design and are instead expected to adapt to systems built around other priorities.

Do One-Size-Fits-All Literacy Programs Serve English Learners? English language learners are rarely the starting point of policy design.

Rev. Dr. Cassandra Gould recounts the historical efforts of the black community to resist, organize, and expand democracy, and how this moment demands a renewed commitment to solidarity across race, class, faith, and geography.

Voter Suppression Will Not Have the Last Word This moment demands courage, clarity, and collective power.

Guest author Cooper Sved analyzes his experience trying to implement Virginia's new Literacy Act, with implications for future legislation.

When Literacy Reform Meets the Classroom Literacy legislation should consider the experience educators and students.

NEW: The 8th edition of our annual report evaluating state K-12 school finance systems, as well as one-page state profiles, visualizations, full datasets, and more.

The Adequacy and Fairness of State School Finance Systems 2026 An evaluation of the K-12 school finance systems of all 50 states and D.C.

With banning cell phone use in schools becoming increasingly popular, ASI Fellow Tiffany Broadbent writes that it is important for policymakers to consider the research and listen to stakeholders.

School Cell Phone Bans: Listen to Researchers and Stakeholders School cell phone policy must reflect the research and views of stakeholders.

How are you recognizing Constitution Day on September 17th?

If you need lesson ideas, check out the great suggestions from ShareMyLesson! ⬇️

Constitution Day Activities and Lesson Plans Explore these free, curated Constitution Day activities, lesson plans and resources for teaching about the U.S. Constitution and American History.

Esther Quintero unpacks the arguments around reading laws, showing how priors shape both support and skepticism.

The Mindsets We Bring to Understanding Reading Laws Our priors affect how we understand literacy mandates and that is ok. We can still find common ground.

Today is the anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.🇺🇸🪧✊
These lesson plans, commissioned by the Albert Shanker Institute, offer thoughtful lessons and background information for anyone interested in learning more about this important moment in United States history. 🇺🇸⬇️

March on Washington Lesson Plans 2013 marked the 50th anniversary of the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The Institute worked to make a special contribution to this commemoration by publishing lesson plans and materials that K-12 teachers across the country can use in their classrooms.

Start your Labor Day weekend with this Dispatch from the Department of People Who Work for a Living by Bernie Burnham, president of the Minnesota AFL-CIO. ✊

https://www.shankerinstitute.org/blog/dispatch-department-people-who-work-living

Tomorrow, AFL-CIO President (+ ASI Board of Directors member) Liz Shuler is delivering her annual State of the Unions. ✊
⬇️Details below to watch it⬇️

Join AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler on Wednesday at 11 a.m. for our annual State of the Unions, where she’ll share how the labor movement is fighting for workers across the country and standing up to billionaires, greedy corporate CEOs and anti-worker politicians.

Calling for attorneys, educators, veterans and others to join this WeAreTheConstitution call tonight and join a Constitution Day event - to re-take your oath of office and/or to teach in your classroom about the US Constitution. Come to the call tonight to learn more.

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