States Leading States (SLS) Initiative
States Leading States (SLS) Initiative
CEPR's new initiative, States Leading States (SLS), will release reports on promising state and local policies—including cell phone bans and summer learning programs—aimed at driving state-level policy change across the country.
States Leading States: Accelerating Solutions in Education
As NAEP scores continue to decline across the country, state leaders are taking bold action to answer a vital question: Which education policies truly deliver better outcomes for students, and how can we share those lessons nationwide?
The Center for Education Policy Research (CEPR) at Harvard University has launched the States Leading States (SLS) Initiative to identify, evaluate, and accelerate proven, evidence-based strategies. By learning from and collaborating with partner states, SLS empowers policymakers, practitioners, and communities to create lasting change and help every student succeed.
Funded by generous support from the Walton Foundation and Overdeck Family Foundation, this work will pave the way for effective implementation of enduring state policy change.
Why States Leading States
Accelerating What Works
By spotlighting and sharing effective, evidence-based policies, SLS accelerates the spread of what works so that every state can help its students succeed.
State Leadership
SLS state partners represent geographic, political, and contextual diversity; each is piloting or scaling efforts with potential for national adoption.
Actionable Insights
SLS will begin publishing findings in 2026, empowering states to learn from one another, adapt to new challenges, and lead the way in creating lasting change.
Examining School Cell Phone Policies
States Leading States is exploring the impacts of policies limiting cell phone use during the school day on student learning and well-being—from a national study focused on bell-to-bell bans implemented using lockable storage, to a multi-state study examining how different school-level policies affect student outcomes in multiple states across the country.
Alabama Summer Learning
States Leading States is exploring the impacts of Alabama’s Summer Learning Camps, which provide targeted reading and math support for elementary students who need additional instruction to strengthen essential skills during the summer months.
Our Partners in this Work
Thomas Kane, CEPR Faculty Director
“Whether it is early literacy, high quality instructional materials, or high school redesign, states are where education reform is happening. The U.S. educational system depends on innovative, evidence-based leadership from governors, state legislators, state boards of education and state education agencies. We will assemble a cohort of leaders committed to following the evidence.”
Christina Grant, CEPR Executive Director
"This work comes at a critical juncture as states are still grappling with the long-term impacts of the pandemic. We hope that this SLS initiative will lay a strong foundation for the next phase of transformative education work across the country.”
Margaret Spellings, Former U.S. Secretary of Education, President and CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center
“At a time when too many students are not reading at grade level or able to do basic math and the gaps between highest and lowest performing students are growing, we need to make student achievement a priority again and develop evidence-based strategies that help all students succeed. That’s why I’m pleased to see states coming together alongside the Center for Education Policy Research to take this challenge head on and launch States Leading States. Rigorous nonpartisan research and collaboration among states can have a tremendous impact on the development of new interventions and approaches that get results for students. “
John B. King Jr., Former U.S. Secretary of Education, Chancellor of the State University of New York (SUNY)
“When states pool their knowledge and work with trusted research partners to improve student outcomes, everyone benefits. States Leading States sets a powerful example for the country by fostering research and collaboration that can help schools everywhere give students the best chance to succeed.”
States Leading States in the News
Meet the States Leading States Team
Elizabeth Burland
Joanne Carminucci
Marc-Antoine Châtelain
Samantha Cullum
Hanna Han
Jasmine Jha
Micaela Keating Sharp
Atsuko Muroga
Emily Nordbeck
Nicolás Rojas Souyet
Scott Sargrad
Kellie Solowski
Derik Suria
