The Annenberg Institute will host a discussion on the state of education recovery in Rhode Island, bringing together researchers, educators, and policymakers to examine the state's post-pandemic public school landscape. The event will explore research and evidence related to student recovery, school improvement, and the opportunities and challenges facing Rhode Island schools, highlighting how data and collaboration can inform policies and practices that support students, educators, and communities.

Resisting Asian American/Hmong Invisibility examines the myriad ways Hmong American youth are rendered invisible and/or hyper-visible by dominant racial discourses operating in schools, and by current educational policies that reflect deficit perspectives regarding non-white youth from immigrant and refugee backgrounds. We explore the impact of invisibility on Hmong youth in one community and highlight how Hmong Americans are resisting their invisibility through various forms of educational advocacy and community-based education. We argue that their resistance reflects their class aspirations and understandings of race in the US.

The Annenberg Institute will host a discussion on the labor market returns to graduate degrees, examining how access to advanced education influences career and economic outcomes. The talk will explore research using evidence from a scholarship program in Chile to consider the relationship between graduate education, financial support, and opportunities in the labor market.

The Annenberg Institute will host Lucy Sorensen, Associate Professor of Public Administration & Policy at the University at Albany, SUNY, for a discussion of her research on education policy and student outcomes. Drawing on her work examining how policies and institutions shape educational experiences, she will explore how evidence can inform efforts to better understand and improve outcomes for students and schools.

The Annenberg Institute will host David Evans for a discussion of research examining perceptions of the value of education in low- and middle-income countries. The talk will explore a meta-analysis of programs that provide information about educational returns, considering how beliefs about schooling influence decisions and outcomes.

Campaigns to provide information about the returns to additional years of schooling have been lauded as low-cost ways to boost student engagement in school. We review 12 such programs in low- and middle-income countries across Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and Latin America. On average, we find that information campaigns that provide information on the returns to education lead to more accurate student beliefs about the average value of further schooling, but also that those beliefs may be revised either upward or downward, depending on the direction of initial bias. We find positive and significant impacts on school participation (with an average standardized effect size of 0.02) and on student learning (0.05). Costs tend to be low, so despite modest effects, these are likely cost-effective. We discuss variation across studies, design decisions, implementation challenges, heterogeneous effects, and ethical considerations.

The Annenberg Institute will host a discussion on Rhode Island’s teacher workforce, exploring the challenges and opportunities involved in recruiting, retaining, and supporting educators. The talk will highlight research on teacher staffing trends and examine how evidence can inform efforts to build a stronger, more effective educator workforce across the state.

The Annenberg Institute will host a discussion on equity work and political neutrality in suburban schools. The talk will explore how educators, school leaders, and communities navigate conversations about equity, inclusion, and educational values within changing school environments. The presentation will consider the challenges and opportunities involved in addressing questions of fairness, belonging, and school culture.

The Annenberg Institute will host Lindsay Page for a discussion on the effects of college admissions policies on Asian American applicants. The talk will explore research on admissions practices, access, and equity in higher education, examining how policy decisions and institutional processes shape opportunities for students applying to selective colleges and universities.

The Annenberg Institute will host a discussion on academic achievement in intentionally diverse school environments. The talk will explore research on how school contexts, diversity, and educational practices influence student experiences and outcomes, highlighting broader questions about equity, opportunity, and the design of learning environments.

The Annenberg Institute will host a discussion on the relationship between school spending and child well-being. The talk will explore research examining how investments in education may influence student experiences and outcomes, highlighting broader questions about the role of resources in supporting children’s development and success.