K12 RESEARCH FOR EQUITY HUB
(THE HUB)

Hub Inspiration
For the past 30 years, the standards-based reform (SBR) movement has informed education policy in the United States. Research suggests SBR positively influences student attendance, teacher and administrator responsiveness, and student learning. SBR highlighted racial achievement gaps and began addressing them through federal policy, beginning with the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. But the hyper focus on assessments and accountability had negative and unintended consequences on schools and districts, particularly those primarily serving students who are Black, Latinx, and/or experiencing poverty. Additionally, the impact of COVID-19 presents an opportunity to update our nation’s testing and accountability systems.
Purpose
The K12 Research for Equity Hub is a multi-year initiative that will generate new evidence to advance the national policy dialogue on K12 education accountability and assessment. The hub research will help explore the strengths, limitations, and policy implications of reimagining K12 education assessment and accountability systems that improve student learning experiences, and close student achievement and opportunity gaps.
Research Awards
In fall 2022, the hub disseminated four research awards to teams examining alternative K12 education accountability models and/or innovative assessment approaches. Another cycle of research awards will be available in spring 2023. Important deadlines will be shared here as more information becomes available.
Funding
Funding for The Hub is provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Walton Family Foundation. Hub research will be conducted in collaboration with EduDream as the Hub's coordinator and selected research teams. No personnel from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, nor the Walton Family Foundation will participate in the creation of hub research. The findings and conclusions contained within hub research deliverables will be those of the authors and will not necessarily reflect the positions and/or policies of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation or the Walton Family Foundation.


Hub Advisory Group

Diallo Brooks
Schott Foundation

Gloria Corral
Parent Institute for Quality Education


Lindsay Fryer
Lodestone DC

Michelle Odemwingie
Achievement Network
Jill Zimmerman Pinsky
Watershed Advisors