Education Futures Council

In the fall of 2023, the Hoover Institution formed the Education Futures Council to review and analyze the state of public education in America. We on the Council recognize that the future of our country—its security, prosperity, and social cohesion—rests on the certainty of providing every child with access to a high-quality education. The Council is diverse by design; we reflect a wide range of personal and professional life experiences that span the political spectrum. Supported by a team of policy experts and researchers, we have developed a new approach on how the public education system can be revitalized to address its most pressing challenges. This report is the culmination of our work.

We have identified fundamental barriers within the current K–12 public education system that prevent far too many students from succeeding and thriving. Our “True North” must always point toward student outcomes. Despite a national commitment to the issue, steep increases in funding, and decades of reform efforts, our current system has been unable to reverse poor student outcomes, particularly for low income students and students of color. This failure goes against who we profess to be as a nation.

We aim to make far better use of the considerable talent, assets, and efforts that exist in our public school institutions. In offering solutions, our report calls for a new approach that focuses on organizing for student-based results—flipping the system from topdown to bottom-up—minimizing mandates while embracing incentives, and cultivating and rewarding professional mastery in the education workforce. Each component of the proposed new operating system is deliberately influenced by the other components, and the plan is designed to be executed as a whole.

On behalf of the Education Futures Council, we hope this report builds motivation and commitment for change. Together we can launch a new approach to address the current state of public education in America and provide every child with the foundational opportunities they deserve.