CUNY Institute for Education Policy

The City University of New York’s new Institute for Education Policy is New York City’s first university-based policy analysis and research institute devoted to understanding the challenges of P-20 education. Directed by Dr. David M. Steiner, the Institute, located at Hunter College’s Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute, will be a major resource for researchers and policymakers debating pragmatic, non-partisan solutions to the most critical issues in education policy in the 21st century.

It comes at an especially important time. Research continues to reveal deeply disturbing evidence of persistent learning gaps among demographic groups, declining overall performance by our P-20 system compared to our international peers, and a troubling distance between what our urban minority public school students are learning and the skills, knowledge, and abilities they need in order to succeed in college and in their careers and lives. Moreover, rapid technological change is creating both unprecedented challenges and opportunities for our education system. Far stronger educational outcomes are critical to our citizens and to our economic and social wellbeing.

Recognizing that access to world-class education is unrealized for far too many students, the mission of the CUNY Institute for Education Policy is to support the development and sharing of powerful ideas that can change educational policy and practice in meaningful ways: through sponsored research and events such as symposia, seminars, and working groups for urban system leaders, and public discussions of fundamental but often-overlooked issues affecting schools today. The Institute will provide a platform for policymakers – including elected officials, scholars, practitioners, students, and the media – to exchange ideas, research, and reform policies. To ensure that this work reaches the largest possible audience, the Institute will have a strong publishing presence, including an e-newsletter and, over time, a journal.

As James Madison and Thomas Jefferson noted centuries ago, the health of American democracy cannot be separated from the quality of the education provided to its citizens. The political, social, economic, and cultural condition of our polity is a direct consequence of the public education we provide to each generation.

We invite you to share in our passion for the importance of this endeavor – and in our belief in the urgency of the need to educate all Americans.