# SLS Winter 2026 Newsletter March 10, 2026 Dear friends, Welcome to the inaugural edition of the States Leading States (SLS) newsletter! It’s been a whirlwind since I joined CEPR almost a year ago—from building our small but mighty team, to finding fantastic state partners, to identifying promising policies and rigorous research designs—and I’m excited to have this opportunity to share updates with all of you. The foundation of our work is our people, and in this first newsletter, I want to briefly introduce our amazing team. There are lots of folks at CEPR who contribute to States Leading States, but our core team includes: - [Joanne Carminucci](https://prod-cepr.drupalsites.harvard.edu/people/joanne-carminucci), Research Analyst - [Samantha Cullum](https://prod-cepr.drupalsites.harvard.edu/people/samantha-cullum), Research Manager - [Emily Nordbeck](https://prod-cepr.drupalsites.harvard.edu/people/emily-nordbeck), Program Manager - [Kellie Solowski](https://prod-cepr.drupalsites.harvard.edu/people/kellie-solowski), Senior Research Program Manager Our colleagues [Amber Humm Patnode](https://cepr.harvard.edu/people/amber-humm-patnode) and [Kriti Chopra](https://cepr.harvard.edu/people/kriti-chopra), with CEPR’s Proving Ground project, are also supporting States Leading States. Stay tuned as we bring on more great staff, particularly on the analytic side of things (and if you’re interested in joining our team, check out our job postings [here](https://cepr.harvard.edu/become-staff-member))! As you may have heard, our big news recently was that [**we officially announced**](https://www.the74million.org/article/exclusive-as-feds-step-back-states-step-up-sharing-ways-to-boost-student-achievement/?utm_source=The%2074%20Million%20Newsletter&utm_campaign=5d3de5c8d9-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2022_07_27_07_47_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_077b986842-5d3de5c8d9-177413880) **the first cohort of our partner states**. These states are policy leaders on topics such as summer learning, cell phones, elementary and middle school literacy, career preparation, and math curriculum. As we finalize research questions and study design with our state partners, we are also helping build their capacity by supporting [Strategic Data Project](https://sdp.cepr.harvard.edu/) (SDP) fellows in each of these states. Starting this fall, these SDP fellows will help examine the implementation of the policies we are evaluating, build data dashboards, and much more. We’re excited to welcome them to the SDP network! Looking ahead, we plan to focus on three big projects this year: a **national analysis of the impact of bell-to-bell cell phone bans** on student achievement, an **evaluation of Alabama’s summer reading and math camps** for struggling students, and a **multi-state study of the impact of different types of cell phone policies** on both student achievement and school climate. Keep an eye out for these releases throughout the year. In closing, I’m excited to see what this next year brings, both for our state partners and for the broader effort of using evidence to drive policy and improve student outcomes. I also encourage you to look through the resources below. Thanks for reading and being a part of the States Leading States community. Until next time, you can stay engaged by [reaching out to us](mailto:sls@gse.harvard.edu), visiting our [website](https://cepr.harvard.edu/sls), or forwarding this newsletter to someone interested in state education policy. Warm wishes, Scott Sargrad Senior Director, States Leading States ### **Catch up on the Winter SLS 2026 research, resources, top stories, and engagement opportunities—**[**read the newsletter.** ](https://mailchi.mp/gse.harvard.edu/sls-newsletter-winter-2026) See also:- [ Newsletters ](/news-type/newsletters) - [ States Leading States ](/projects/states-leading-states) - [ 2026 ](/year/2026) Share on:- [ Facebook ](#) - [ Twitter ](#) - [ Linkedin ](#)