The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) reflects a clear intent to advance equity. Given this, it is critical to analyze how states are exercising their increased discretion to advance educational opportunities and outcomes for historically underserved students.

This week’s digest features news on students’ ability to problem solve, how a curriculum that encourages students to explore “why” can make all the difference, the impact of well-being in the classroom, and how personalizing math education can create deeper learning experiences.

The U.S. stock market is at an all-time high and many investors are beginning to wonder if a crash is on the horizon. Similarly, the national high school graduation rate just hit another record high, leaving some to wonder whether the gains are real or manufactured.

As they look to fill jobs, employers are looking for students who can think critically and solve problems in new and rapidly changing environments. But how well do American students stack up against the rest of the world when it comes to problem solving? Andreas Schleicher, Director for Education and Skills and Special Advisor on Education Policy at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), stopped by All4Ed’s office to offer his insights and share findings from a new OECD report.

“Today, education is where medicine was in 1910,” stated Dan Leeds, Chairman of the Alliance for Excellent Education’s (All4Ed) Board of Directors. Leeds was referring to the pivotal moment in history, after the publication of the Flexner report, when American medical schools began to adhere strictly to the protocols of science in their teaching and research. With modern technological advances and a wider range of research methodologies for studying how humans learn and develop, the field of education likewise now has greater access to research that can guide practitioners and policymakers in how best to design schools to improve student outcomes and close achievement gaps.