Center for Public Education

The Center for Public Education (CPE) provides accurate and timely information about public education and its importance to the wellbeing of our nation. CPE offers research, data, and analysis on current education issues and explores ways to improve student achievement and engage support for public schools.

A national resource for those interested in public education, CPE’s audience includes school board members and other policymakers, as well as educators, community leaders, and parents.

Launched in 2006, CPE emerged from discussion between NSBA and its member state school board associations about how to inform the public about the successes and challenges of public education. NSBA believes that accurate, objective information is essential to building support for public schools and creating effective programs to prepare all students for success.

Search the research documents by categories below or visit the full library of CPE research.

Rural

Nearly 1 in 5 U.S. students attend rural schools. After the pandemic, issues related to funding, teacher recruitment and retention, and serving disadvantaged students have become more severe in rural school districts. In a new five-part report series, “Educational Equity for Rural Students: Out of the Pandemic, but Still Out of the Loop,” NSBA’s Center for Public Education (CEP) examines the growing diversity of rural students, and the urgent need to fix the digital divide and support rural student well-being.

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