Publications

Teaching and Learning During a Pandemic Blog Series

This new blog series seeks to create a respectful, caring and intellectually stimulating space for our readers to reflect on how the Coronavirus pandemic is shaping the face of education.
The Coronavirus Pandemic and K-12 Education Funding

This report examines the implications of the coronavirus pandemic for K-12 education funding, and lays out state and federal policy recommendations to minimize the harm to school budgets.
The Adequacy and Fairness of State School Finance Systems (second edition)

This second edition of our annual report presents measures of the effort, adequacy, and fairness of each state's school finance system, using a public database compiled by researchers at ASI and Rutgers Graduate School of Education.
School Segregation by Race and Ethnicity in the D.C. Metro Area

This research brief presents a comprehensive analysis of school segregation by race and ethnicity in the D.C. metro area, with a particular focus on segregation within and between districts.
School Finance and Teacher Pay Competitiveness

Using data from the School Finance Indicators Database, this report presents an analysis of teacher/non-teacher wage gaps and their relationship with state school spending and fiscal effort.
The Adequacy and Fairness of State School Finance Systems

This report presents measures of the effort, adequacy, and fairness of each state's school finance system, using a new public database compiled by researchers at ASI and Rutgers Graduate School of Education.
Education for Democracy 1987

Education for Democracy: A Statement of Principles, is a signatory statement released by the American Federation of Teachers, The Educationa
The Collection and Availability of Teacher Diversity Data: A State-by-State Survey

This research brief presents a comprehensive summary of the collection and availability of teacher diversity data, based on our 2017 survey of all 51 state education agencies.
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Democratizing Evidence in Education

This book chapter explores how to make the evidence movement more inclusive so that education stakeholders can meaningfully participate in the production and use of research.

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Publications

Constitution Day 2022 Resources and Blog Series
As we recognize Constitution Day this year, so much is stake—our institutions, our rights and our ability to teach—making these lessons about civics and democracy more important than ever. So the Albert Shanker Institute and Share My Lesson are launching a series of teach-ins on the Constitution and its principles, such as the rule of law; constitutional freedoms; the Civil War amendments, which dealt with slavery; voter rights; and tribal sovereignty. These teach-ins will provide content knowledge on the rights granted in the Constitution, with teachable strategies for the classroom, and will tackle the very issues eroding our democracy and freedoms today, from book banning to protests and more. Our country’s educators will continue to do their part to help ensure our children know the basic tenets of our democracy and why they’re worth protecting.*

In honor of Constitution Day 2022, we have launched another blog series. Please check back for new additions to the series by experienced educators and other experts:
Ensuring Adequate Education Funding For All: A New Federal Foundation Aid Formula
A proposal for and simulation of a new "foundation formula" approach to federal K-12 funding, one in which federal funds are allocated based not only on student need (as is currently the case), but also on “effort”—that is, whether states contribute a reasonable minimum "fair share" of their economies to their public schools.
Segregation and School Funding: How Housing Discrimination Reproduces Unequal Opportunity
A descriptive analysis of the historical and contemporary relationship between racial segregation and K-12 school funding.

Blog Archives

Our Mission

The Albert Shanker Institute, endowed by the American Federation of Teachers and named in honor of its late president, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to three themes - excellence in public education, unions as advocates for quality, and freedom of association in the public life of democracies. With an independent Board of Directors (composed of educators, business representatives, labor leaders, academics, and public policy analysts), its mission is to generate ideas, foster candid exchanges, and promote constructive policy proposals related to these issues.

This blog offers informal commentary on the research, news, and controversies related to the work of the Institute.

Publications

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