SLS Summer 2026 Newsletter
Dear friends,
It’s been a busy season for States Leading States as the weather has warmed up! Last month, I had the opportunity to attend the 2026 Strategic Data Project (SDP) Convening in Cambridge, and it reminded me how hard so many people are working every day in states, districts, schools, non-profits, and community organizations to develop rigorous evidence, use data, and improve outcomes for students.
The SDP Convening highlighted a number of SLS partner states and topics, with presentations on outcomes-based contracting, evaluations of summer learning, and a mainstage panel on cell phone bans featuring Dr. Eric Mackey of Alabama (check out this blog post for the highlights).
The convening was also a chance to get excited about the SLS-SDP fellows who will be part of the next cohort starting in October! A major focus this spring has been finalizing fellow placements with our partner states, identifying capstone projects that complement our research, and planning a community of practice for our fellows. More to come in the fall when we can introduce our first group of fellows and the projects they’ll be working on!
In the meantime, our team continues to grow and prepare for the work ahead. A few highlights:
- New SLS staff: We’re excited to welcome Jasmine Jha (Research Analyst II) and Mandy Shen (Associate Director of Research) to the SLS team. Stay tuned for additional introductions as we expand our team further in the coming months!
- Education Scorecard release: The latest Education Scorecard, published in May, highlighted the potential connection between science of reading reforms and improvements in literacy outcomes. Over the next few years, SLS will rigorously evaluate the impact of these types of literacy reforms in several of our partner states, including Colorado and Ohio. The Scorecard also showcased improvements in math in many states since 2022, with SLS partners Tennessee and Delaware ranking in the top four fastest-growing states in the country. We’re currently working with Texas to examine their new state-developed math curriculum, and we’re hoping to partner with other states on math-focused policies moving forward.
- Progress on cell phone ban work: Finally, as I mentioned in our last newsletter, we have two projects underway related to the impact of cell phone restrictions on student outcomes. In April, a team from Stanford, Michigan, and UPenn published a national study on the impact of lockable cell phone pouches, finding that the pouches led to a decline in cell phone use—but not improvements in achievement—based on school-level assessment data. Our first cell phone study will similarly look at the impact of these pouches, but we will use student-level data to identify whether there were different impacts for different groups of students, such as lower-achieving students.
Thank you so much for being part of the SLS community! Please stay in touch and engaged by reaching out to us, visiting our website, and forwarding this newsletter to someone interested in state education policy.
Warm wishes,
Scott Sargrad
Senior Director, States Leading States