Key Findings from Precarious Prospects

• Students who earned higher educational degrees went on to earn more, on average.

The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) is widely heralded as a qualification that better prepares students for the demands of university study. But does the IB truly give graduates an advantage when they move on to higher education? 

We look at evidence from international studies and speak to some of the UAE's IB education leaders to find out if they believe these claims to be accurate– and what they observe to be the key elements that enable students to get ahead...

When schools went remote during the pandemic, internet access became essential, but not all students had access to a high-quality connection. So, in the summer of 2020, Chicago launched Chicago Connected to provide free broadband for students in the city who needed it most. But, according to a recent paper, Chicago Connected did not help all students equally. 

Roy is a researcher and data science consultant. His work focuses on the use of administrative data to examine the equity implications of education and workforce policies and the development of data products to support effective policy implementation. 

The final, definitive version of this paper has been published in the American Educational Research Journal, 62(3), June 2025 by SAGE Publications Ltd./SAGE Publications, Inc., All rights reserved. © 2025

Principals have a big impact—but they can’t do it alone. 

Families are essential partners in school success. Our newest Family Playbook helps parent and community leaders better understand what great principals do—and how to work together to build strong, supportive school communities. 

Los directores de la escuela tienen un gran impacto—pero no pueden hacerlo solos. 

The 5Essentials Survey captures students' and teachers' reports about their experiences in school, to help leadership teams identify strengths and areas for improvement. 

Strong scores and strong growth in measure scores on a school’s 5Essentials Survey are both predictive of many student success measures, including GPA, attendance, test scores, and college enrollment. 

La encuesta 5Essentials para estudiantes y maestros mide las condiciones organizativas en toda la escuela, con el fin de ayudar a los equipos de liderazgo a planificar las mejoras. 

Las escuelas con puntuaciones altas y fuerte crecimiento en las medidas de la encuesta 5Essentials, predicen muchos indicadores del éxito estudiantil, como el promedio de calificaciones (GPA), la asistencia, los resultados de las pruebas, y la matriculación universitaria.