Forward Thinking. Forward Moving.
Bellwether’s 2023 Annual Report
Education’s New Normal
Recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and school closures is the focus of leaders at every level of the education system. Yet three years from the height of the pandemic, it’s clear our education system hasn’t experienced a disruption to “recover” from. Instead, we’re experiencing a new normal in education — one in which in addition to the staggering learning loss from the pandemic the longstanding problems and inequities exacerbated by COVID are proving to be more stubborn than ever and prompting demands from families to rethink the status quo.
As schools open their doors for a new year, leaders and policymakers are grappling with the pressure of this new normal on several fronts:

Persistent Learning Loss

Education’s Fiscal Cliff

Simmering Political Tension

Meeting Parent Demand

Growing Postsecondary Concerns
This is a daunting list filled with plenty of uncertainty. The good news is that across the country, state agencies, districts, charter networks, and nonprofit organizations are working every day to tackle these urgent challenges.
Bellwether was fortunate to work with many of those groups during this past school year — more than 135 across more than 25 states and Washington, D.C. — with a focus on expanding opportunities for systemically marginalized young people. We helped school leaders take instruction in their classrooms to the next level. We helped philanthropic and nonprofit leaders analyze the results of key initiatives and make plans to reach more students despite an uncertain economic and policy landscape. We helped policymakers identify ways to make education funding more equitable in their states so that schools will have the resources to support every student’s unique learning needs.
Over the past year, we shared what we’ve learned in more than 30 reports, resources, and toolkits that offer practical insights for leaders and practitioners across the sector. And through our new Beta initiative, we’re partnering with diverse groups of stakeholders to tackle some of the sector’s most complex challenges.
Along the way, we grew our team to more than 100 full-time professionals, added new part-time advisers and sponsored fellows who are innovators and leaders in the sector, and expanded our expertise in key areas like academic and program strategy, evaluation, and governance to better support our partners.