Policy & Advocacy

Helping policymakers modernize education for personalized, competency-based learning

Students do not all master the same skills at the same time. But education policy often assumes they should.

New Classrooms works with state and federal leaders to help change that. We advance policy strategies that help schools meet students where students are, support progress toward grade-level expectations, and create the conditions for personalized, competency-based learning models that can improve outcomes, especially in math.

Our work focuses on removing barriers to innovation, strengthening instructional coherence, creating the supply and demand for innovative learning models, and improving how student learning is assessed and measured.

You can explore our 2026 Policy Agenda here.

State Policy

States play a critical role in shaping the academic experience schools are able to provide for students. We work with state leaders to promote policy that improves instructional coherence, creates the conditions for personalized, competency-based learning, and and ensures all teachers and students  have the support they need to succeed.

Our state policy work translates research and on-the-ground experience into actionable guidance for state agencies and policymakers.

Unlocking Algebra Action Guide

This guide builds on New Classrooms’ and TNTP’s Unlocking Algebra research to offer concrete policy recommendations states can use to help more students master Algebra.

Read the guide

Promoting Instructional Coherence Through a High-Quality Rubric for Supplemental Math Materials

Many states have review processes for core instructional materials, but districts lack clear guidance for supplemental resources. This brief explains how states can strengthen instructional coherence by developing a high-quality rubric for supplemental materials.

Read the brief

Developing a Standards-Aligned Math Skill Map

This brief explains why a standards-aligned math skill map is a critical piece of instructional infrastructure. Just as standards define what students should learn, a skill map defines how learning builds, giving educators the visibility and precision needed to help every student stay on track to mastery.

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A Governor’s Pledge: Algebra Mastery by the End of 9th Grade

This policy brief for gubernatorial candidates outlines how states can strengthen math outcomes by ensuring all students have a clear pathway to Algebra I proficiency.

Read the brief

Federal Policy

Federal policy can help create the conditions for schools, states, researchers to advance new approaches to teaching and learning. We advocate for federal investments and policy change that strengthen research and development, modernize key institutions, and accelerate the adoption of innovative learning models.

Our federal work focuses on ensuring that national efforts are aligned to the needs of today’s students and classrooms, ensuring that more personalized, competency-based approaches can improve outcomes at scale.

Reimagining IES

This letter offers recommendations for modernizing the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) so it can support the development, testing, and scaling of new approaches to teaching and learning. We argue that federal R&D infrastructure should do more than study what already exists; it should help build what students and schools need next. 

Read the letter

Federal R&D Investment for Innovative Learning Models

This paper outlines how the federal government can take a stronger role in advancing education research and development for innovative learning models, including targeted investments that support design, testing, and scaling of new approaches.

Read the paper

Designing Stronger Assessment & Accountability

Assessment and accountability systems should help educators understand what students know, what they need next, and whether schools are helping them make meaningful progress. Too often, today’s system provides information that is too limited, too late, and too disconnected from the instructional decisions that teachers, schools and the state need to make.Additional studiesAnnual reports

The Iceberg Problem

This brief explains how grade-level only assessment and accountability policies can cause unfinished learning in math to remain hidden. We make the case for systems that measure growth from each student’s starting point, and support a mix of pre-grade and grade-level learning to ensure that all students are on track for college and career.

Read the brief

One Size Fits None: How Federal Testing Policies Undermine Student Learning

This article calls for a new federal permission structure that allows states to design, implement, and evaluate student-centered assessment and accountability systems. It argues that current federal testing rules and the existing Innovative Assessment Demonstration Authority have not given states the flexibility they need to support personalized, competency-based learning while maintaining strong guardrails.

Read the article

Calls to Action

Explore our current advocacy efforts and learn how you can take action to support policies that improve outcomes for students and educators.

How to Reimagine the Institute of Education Sciences (IES)

October 22, 2025 | New Classrooms

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Letter in Support of the Developing and Advancing Innovative Learning Models Act

May 7, 2025 | New Classrooms

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Thought Leadership and Webinars

Read our latest insights, analysis, and perspectives on the policies and practices shaping the future of teaching and learning.

119th Legislative Priorities

March 3, 2025 | Michael Watson

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Presidential Memo – 2025

November 12, 2024 | Michael Watson | New Classrooms

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