Across the country, systems are shifting—from California’s math adoption moment to national conversations about how we fund, support, and scale what works. This week’s insights highlight a shared reality: it’s not just what materials we choose that matters, but how well our systems are built to implement them.
CEMD Executive Director Lora Kaiser responds to California’s newly released math instructional materials list—not with flashy headlines, but with grounded guidance. She outlines five clear moves district leaders can take to ensure that this adoption moment leads to real impact. Her message is simple: the work ahead isn’t about discovering something new, it’s about doing what we already know works—consistently, coherently, and collaboratively.
Bottom line: Regardless of the state you're in, effective selection and thoughtful implementation are what turn strong materials into strong instruction—for every student, every day.
In Episode 10 ofPolicy Changes Lives(Season 2025), hosts Adriana Harrington and Lindsey Henderson talk with Liz Cohen of 50CAN about how high school graduation requirements must evolve to meet the changing demands facing today’s students. The conversation questions long-standing assumptions about what all students need—and considers what it really means to prepare them for the future.
How do we know which curricula districts are using—and how can better data improve teaching and learning?
On Tuesday, November 18th at 3 pm ET, join the Collaborative for Student Success for a discussion among experts with RAND Corporation, CEMD, and EdTrust–New York on the complex landscape of state curriculum data: what’s working, what’s missing, and why it matters for students and teachers.
13,000 Districts, 13,000 Realities: What Numbers Reveal
CEMD’s newinfographicvisualizes national district-level data to show how geography, enrollment size, student demographics, and instructional context shape the realities of more than 13,000 public school systems—and why curriculum strategies must reflect those local contexts.
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