How Educational Reform Takes Shape: Modern Approaches and Key Players

Achieving effective educational reform requires collaboration among policymakers, educators, and communities. It also requires something more: Practical strategies for implementing change.

Areas of Reform Focus

First, a bit of background. In the United States, educational reform focuses on updating outdated curricula, improving teacher training and support, addressing funding inequalities, and integrating technology to make learning more relevant and accessible. The overall goal of these changes is to create a more equitable, effective, and future-oriented education system.

Curriculum and Skills Alignment

Today’s economy demands critical thinking, digital literacy, and problem-solving abilities, making traditional curricula outdated. Reform efforts have emphasized STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) to address these needs. Additionally, project-based learning has gained popularity as a way to engage students and encourage deeper understanding.¹

Teacher Preparation and Support

Teachers are at the forefront of reform but often face challenges related to pay, resources, and professional development. Studies indicate that well-supported teachers lead to better student outcomes, and that teacher training remains essential for effective reform.²

Reducing Inequality

Disparities in school funding and resources persist, often correlating with race and socioeconomic status. Schools in wealthier areas typically have access to more resources than those in low-income areas. This inequality can be addressed by funding formulas that allocate resources based on need rather than locality.

Technology Integration

Technology offers opportunities to make learning more engaging and accessible, though it also requires digital infrastructure and teacher training. Schools in rural and low-income areas often struggle to implement adequate technology.³ (Check out our article about the Digital Divide for more.)

Assessment Reform

Standardized testing has been widely criticized for limiting critical thinking and creativity. Alternative assessments, like portfolio-based evaluations that include a collection of a student’s work over time, are gaining traction as more holistic ways to assess student progress.

Key Players in Educational Reform

Educational reform requires input from a variety of stakeholders, each with unique roles, powers, and limitations. From government bodies to local communities, these key players influence policy, funding, curriculum design, and implementation at different levels. Let’s take a look at these players, from grand scale to grassroots.

Federal Government

The federal government plays a significant role in educational reform through policies, funding, and regulations. Its primary power comes from the allocation of funds and grants, like Title I funding, aimed at supporting low-income schools. Federal laws, like the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), provide guidelines and requirements for accountability and school performance. While these laws offer a framework for states, they also give states flexibility in setting specific standards and implementing policies that meet local needs. However, the federal government has limitations. Education in the United States is largely a state responsibility, and the Constitution grants states authority over public education. This decentralization limits the federal government’s direct control over schools, meaning it can influence but not dictate local curricula or operational decisions.⁴

State Government

State governments oversee the distribution of funds, set educational standards, and establish policies for teacher certification and curriculum guidelines. They have authority to decide on standardized testing requirements, graduation criteria, and the allocation of funds to school districts. This can lead to shortfalls, since state budgets fluctuate based on economic conditions. The reliance can lead to cuts in education budgets in times of economic downturn. State education policies also often face political challenges, as policymakers may have differing views on educational priorities. This can create inconsistency in educational standards and reform efforts across different states.⁵

School Districts

Local school districts are the operational core of the U.S. education system. They are responsible for implementing state and federal policies, managing local schools, hiring staff, setting local budgets, and making day-to-day decisions that directly impact students and teachers. School boards, typically elected by the local community, govern these districts and play a key role in decisions about curriculum adoption, teacher salaries, and resource allocation. Districts have the power to adjust their educational strategies based on community needs, making them essential for tailoring reforms to fit local contexts.

Local districts face funding challenges since their budgets largely depend on local property taxes, creating gaps between wealthy and low-income areas. This financial disparity restricts poorer districts from fully implementing reforms. Additionally, local political pressures often push school boards to prioritize community preferences over best educational practices. These pressures then lead to inconsistent reforms and fragmented standards across districts.⁶

Nonprofits and Other Organizations

Nonprofits and advocacy groups, such as the National Education Association (NEA) and the Gates Foundation, play influential roles in shaping education reform. These organizations often have access to significant resources and can fund pilot programs, conduct research, and advocate for policies they believe will benefit students and educators.⁷ Although they provide expertise, create partnerships, and lobby policymakers by bringing research-backed recommendations, they do not have direct authority over schools, so they rely on government agencies and districts to adopt and implement their proposals. Nonprofits often depend on donations and grants, which can fluctuate and may limit the scope of their initiatives.

Teachers’ unions, such as the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the NEA, represent the interests of educators and advocate for their working conditions, wages, and professional development. These unions play a powerful role in educational reform by negotiating labor contracts, advocating for policies that impact classroom conditions, and lobbying for increased funding for public education. While they can advocate for higher salaries or better working conditions, achieving these goals often depends on government funding, which is outside their control. Unions can organize large numbers of teachers, which gives them significant political influence and the ability to mobilize protests or strikes if necessary.

Parents and Communities

Local communities—especially parents—have a vested interest in education reform, as they want the best possible outcomes for their children. Parents can influence school boards through voting, volunteering, and participating in Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs). While they can influence school board decisions and express their opinions, they do not have direct authority over policy implementation. Community engagement in school board elections and local government meetings can shape priorities for educational reform, ensuring that policies reflect the specific needs and values of the community. Parents also play a critical role in holding schools accountable, advocating for reforms that address issues like school safety, class sizes, and curriculum choices.

Private Sector

The private sector, particularly companies specializing in educational technology, curriculum development, and assessment tools, has become increasingly involved in educational reform. Companies like Google and Apple provide schools with digital resources, devices, and platforms that support remote learning and classroom engagement. The private sector contributes innovations, funds pilot programs, and offers solutions that can enhance learning experiences. But private companies do face scrutiny regarding their profit motives and influence over public education. Some private companies prioritize profitability over students’ best interests, leading to a mismatch between commercial products and genuine educational needs.⁸

Other private sector players include influencers in the realm of education. For example, former teachers like John Taylor Gatto have written books, letters, and social posts to spread awareness about the needs for change. Our own founder, Fred Ode, struggled with school both as a student and later as a teacher, prompting him to launch ERA and create a curriculum for a Life Discovery class to address his concerns.

Pathways for Lasting Educational Reform

To make reforms sustainable, it’s crucial to strengthen policy support, engage the community, and pilot reforms on a small scale before broad implementation.

• Strengthen Policy Support: Policies like ESSA provide states with flexibility in using federal funds. Effective reform depends on policies that emphasize equity and adaptability.⁹

• Engage the Community: Community involvement is essential for meaningful reform. School boards and local governments can engage parents and leaders to ensure reforms meet local needs.

• Pilot Reforms Before Scaling: Testing reforms on a small scale helps refine strategies and reduce costs. This “pilot and scale” model can make broader reforms more successful.

Conclusion

Educational reform requires collaboration and commitment from all of us. Here at the Education Revolution Association, we’re working with education officials, school leaders and teachers, nonprofits and families to create and implement curriculum designed to equip students with the tools they need to create a rewarding and fulfilling life. We invite you to join us in that effort. Contact us to get involved in ERA and help us empower schools to prepare students from what matters above all:

Their future.

(P.S. If you’re interested in education reform, check out some of our other articles on the subject: a deep dive, current trends, a history of the movement, and a brief overview for quick reference.)

References

1. Larmer, J., Mergendoller, J. R., & Boss, S. (2015). PBL works: A brief introduction to project-based learning. PBLWorks. https://www.pblworks.org/ ↩︎
2. Darling-Hammond, L., et al. (2017). Effective teacher training and professional development. Learning Policy Institute. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/ ↩︎
3. National Center for Education Statistics. (2022). The condition of education 2022. U.S. Department of Education. https://nces.ed.gov/ ↩︎
4. U.S. Department of Education. (2022). Every student succeeds act (ESSA). https://www.ed.gov/essa ↩︎
5. U.S. Department of Education. (2022). Every student succeeds act (ESSA). https://www.ed.gov/essa ↩︎
6. Imazeki, J. (2020). Public school finance and the role of state and local governments. In Public School Finance in the United States (pp. 53-68). Routledge. https://www.researchgate.net/ ↩︎
7. National Education Association. (2022). Our work in education reform. https://www.nea.org/ ↩︎
8. Robertson, D. (2018). The influence of private companies on public education. Academia.edu. https://www.academia.edu/ ↩︎
9. U.S. Department of Education. (2022). Every student succeeds act (ESSA). https://www.ed.gov/essa ↩︎