#  30 Ideas for Fixing U.S. Schools, Ranked by Experts 

 





Math and reading scores are in a decade-long slump. We asked three dozen experts: What could turn things around?



 

September 28, 2026

 

 

U.S. schools are facing a daunting problem. Students simply can’t read or do math as well as they used to.

Student test scores have declined over the last decade, in an academic slump that started [before the pandemic](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/07/us/low-performing-students-reasons.html?eafs_enabled=false) and has [continued since](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/08/us/us-reading-test-scores-pisa.html). Compared with 2015, reading scores are down in [83 percent of districts](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/13/upshot/test-scores-school-districts-us.html), and math declines are nearly as pervasive.

But improving student achievement is notoriously difficult. Do schools need more money? Better teachers? More standardized testing? Less?

What could actually help turn things around?

We asked 37 top academics and researchers who study education to rate a range of ideas for both effectiveness and cost, on a scale of 1 to 7.

Overall, no single idea was enough on its own, experts said. And no idea would be successful unless it was executed well. But the results showed there are a number of ideas that can work.

We asked experts to evaluate each idea for its impact on academic achievement, which is generally measured by standardized test scores.

Lots of other things matter, too, including enrichment activities [like the arts](https://consortium.uchicago.edu/publications/arts-education-and-social-emotional-learning-outcomes), teacher [work satisfaction](https://www.rand.org/news/press/2026/06/teachers-stress-burnout-continue-to-outpace-those-of.html), and [student excitement](https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-disengagement-gap/) about learning. Children also have other needs beyond academics, including mental health and well-being.

But given the results of the last decade, we were interested in what could lift student achievement, which is tied to many later life outcomes, for [students, society](https://www.nber.org/papers/w30701) and [the economy.](https://www.aei.org/commentary/what-do-test-scores-really-mean-for-the-economy/)

*Continue reading at* [*nytimes.com*](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/28/upshot/ideas-fixing-schools-ranked.html)



 

 

 



 

 See also:- [ COVID-19 Impact ](/focus-areas/covid-19-impact)
- [ School Improvement & Redesign ](/focus-areas/school-improvement-and-redesign)
- [ In the News ](/cepr-in-the-news)
- [ 2026 ](/year/2026)
- [ K12 ](/sector/k12)
 
 

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