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President George W. Bush and Margaret Spellings at ExcelinEd's EdPalooza

At ExcelinEd’s EdPalooza on Dec. 1, President George W. Bush shared his insights on leadership in education, how to ignite change, and the post-pandemic road ahead for education in America with former Secretary of Education and Texas 2036 CEO Margaret Spellings.

At ExcelinEd’s EdPalooza on Dec. 1, President George W. Bush shared his insights on leadership in education, how to ignite change, and the post-pandemic road ahead for education in America with former Secretary of Education and Texas 2036 CEO Margaret Spellings. The conversation was part of the launch of the Bush Institute Education Reform Initiative’s new state education and workforce pipeline tool.  

America’s workforce and public education are profoundly connected. But the two systems typically operate independently in terms of policy and practice– as a result, improving access to opportunity is sporadic and slow. 

Demand for equitable opportunity has also been magnified by COVID-19 and a renewed focus on race-based injustices. Schools need to deliver quality education in new and unproven ways. More families need childcare, more students are behind grade levels, more graduates have an obscured path into adulthood, and more adults are out of work.

Meanwhile, there is both a downturn in states’ traditional revenue sources. Governors and state leaders need to make hard and informed decisions about priorities and spending with the end in mind. 

This tool is designed to help state leaders by providing key outcome metrics across young adulthood, the post-secondary, secondary- and elementary-school years, and early childhood. See how your state is preparing its young people across a variety of measurements from state assessments.