August 2023

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: 

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Persistent Learning Loss

Data continues to reveal just how far students still have to go to recover the learning they lost during the pandemic — and the need to accelerate many students far beyond those pre-pandemic baselines.
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Education’s Fiscal Cliff

Declining student enrollment, the impending expiration of federal emergency aid, and an uncertain economy will create significant budget pressure for states, school districts, and charter management organizations (CMOs) over the next several years.
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Simmering Political Tension

Focusing on core issues of teaching and learning is more difficult than ever when education leaders spend increasing amounts of time navigating hot-button political issues.
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Meeting Parent Demand

Polls show a growing interest among parents and caregivers in more flexible learning experiences to supplement or even replace traditional school enrollment — a trend leaders need to navigate while safeguarding quality and equity.
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Growing Postsecondary Concerns

Intense scrutiny about the cost and value of traditional higher education highlights an urgent need for more accessible, high-quality pathways to the workforce and greater continuity between the K-12 and postsecondary systems.

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. 

We’ll continue all this work in the year ahead to move the field forward — because the need for fresh ideas, viewpoint-diverse thinking, and tailored support for leaders and practitioners has never been greater.

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