Building a Wider, More Diverse Pipeline of Advanced Learners. Final Report of the National Working Group on Advanced Education

For far too long, the United States has neglected and wasted an enormous amount of human potential--much of it among groups that have never been given the opportunities they deserve. We're talking about bright students, advanced learners, striving pupils, and those with high but untapped potential--especially those who are Black, Hispanic, Native American, low income, or from otherwise marginalized backgrounds--whose educational needs aren't being satisfactorily met by our schools. In response to this and a rash of high-profile, related controversies, the National Working Group on Advanced Education was formed in Spring 2022. It met four times since then, with two goals in mind: developing a robust research agenda and developing a policy and practice agenda. This document is the product of that work, and comprises thirty-six recommendations for how districts, charter networks, and states can build a continuum of advanced learning opportunities, customized to individual students' needs and abilities, that spans the K-12 spectrum. [This document was prepared by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute's National Working Group on Advanced Education.]