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Evidence Matters | AI in K-12 Education: So What Now?
In Part 1 and Part 2 of this series, we explored AI's promise as a learning partner as well as the evidence gaps and risks surrounding educational technology. But the question remains: what should we...
Continue ReadingEvidence Matters | AI in K-12 Education: The Challenging Pace of the Frontier
In Part 1, we looked at AI's promise as a learning partner—and the risk that convenience can replace the productive struggle students need to develop lasting skills. But schools face another challenge: we're adopting AI...
Continue ReadingEvidence Matters | AI in K-12 Education: The Risks and Rewards
What if the smartest student in the classroom isn't a student at all? Today, students can ask AI to explain a difficult equation at midnight, brainstorm an essay in seconds, or create a personalized study...
Continue ReadingEvidence Matters | Three Things I Learned Using The Riley Institute’s South Carolina Education Data Tool
The Riley Institute now houses the South Carolina Education Data Tool, a powerful data visualization platform that aggregates South Carolina School Report Card data into one interactive play space. Data that required a lot of...
Continue ReadingEvidence Matters | Understanding the School-to-Prison Pipeline: Practices that Work
March 31, 2026 What if a single school disciplinary decision could shape the rest of a student’s life? For thousands of young people across the United States, that’s the reality. A suspension, an arrest, or...
Continue ReadingEvidence Matters | Catching Kids Upstream: How Afterschool Programs Reduce Crime and Risky Behavior
by Amy Keely and Cathy Stevens When we talk about youth crime and risky behavior, the conversation often centers on consequences—what happens after something goes wrong. But what if we focused instead on prevention? What...
Continue ReadingEvidence Matters | Expanding our Understanding of the School Day
by Cathy Stevens When thinking about education in America, we naturally think about the traditional school day from roughly 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Often overlooked, but also critical to children’s success and development are afterschool and...
Continue ReadingEvidence Matters | Understanding the School-to-Prison Pipeline: How Discipline and Academic Inequality Shape Student Outcomes
Education is often described as a pathway to opportunity, opening doors to careers, personal growth, and long-term stability. For many students, school provides the support and resources needed to build a strong future. However, researchers...
Continue ReadingEvidence Matters | Discovering Estonia: Lessons from a Nation Deeply Committed to Education
by Angela Baum This spring, I had the privilege of joining The Riley Institute’s field study to Estonia, a small Baltic nation often celebrated as a global leader in education. We set out to learn...
Continue ReadingEvidence Matters | Two Paths, a Shared Future: What the U.S. and Estonia Can Learn From Each Other – Part II
As we mentioned in our last post, Estonia has become a global model for educational excellence. With its consistently high scores on international assessments like the Programme for International Assessment (PISA), strong digital literacy, and...
Continue ReadingEvidence Matters | Two Paths, a Shared Future: What the U.S. and Estonia Can Learn From Each Other – Part I
by Kelly Gregory, Catherine Schumacher, and Susie Shannon When you fly into the Estonian capital of Tallinn, first you see the woods. These vast swaths of green quickly give way to huge gray blocks of...
Continue ReadingEvidence Matters: Rediscovering Childhood Through Estonia’s Whole-Child Approach to Education
by Wendy Thacker When Did Being a Kid Stop Being Just Being a Kid? Remember the days of Kool-Aid mustaches, PB&J sandwiches from someone else's mom, and playing outside until the streetlights turned on? When...
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