Who We Are
NCREST works with educators, policymakers, community groups and other organizations to improve schools and transform education systems. Founded in 1990 by Linda Darling-Hammond and Ann Lieberman, Director Thomas Hatch leads NCREST’s current efforts help all those engaged in education to reimagine, create, and sustain more powerful and equitable learning environments. NCREST is affiliated with the Department of Curriculum and Teaching, Teachers College, Columbia University.
What We Do
NCREST carries out research and development projects that address the fundamental changes in learning, teaching, curriculum, assessment, parent and community engagement, and administration that comprehensive school improvement demands. As part of the work, NCREST produces a wide range of publications and images of practice that can be used to fuel educational reform efforts and support professional learning. NCREST also shares news and research on educational change around the world via International Education News.
Featured Publication
“Instead of trying to add more skills and competencies into the curriculum or Spursuing gargantuan efforts to replace one curriculum with another, there’s a better approach—and that’s to condense the curriculum.”
Read more in Thomas Hatch’s recent article: “The Power of Condensing the Curriculum” in the December 2025 issue of Educational Leadership.
Featured Projects
The Latest from International Education News
What's new, what's good, and what's effective in education around the world
Foundations for Lasting Educational Change: Lead the Change Interviews from the American Educational Research Association
This week IEN is highlighting Lead the Change’s post featuring this years presenters in their Educational Change SIG sessions. This year’s 10 sessions highlight different contexts, perspectives, and methodological approaches to educational change. The issue features a small slice of … Continue reading
Who’s happy Now? Scanning the headlines for the results of the latest Word Happiness Report
All five Nordic countries and Costa Rica occupy the top slots on the latest World Happiness Survey, but life satisfaction of those under 25 in English countries has dropped sharply in the past 10 years. What’s going on? This scan … Continue reading
What Conditions Could Foster More Balanced School Experiences? Stability & Change in the Education System in China (Part 5)
Can the changing economic, political, and demographic conditions in China combine with growing concerns about students’ mental health and wellbeing to create a more balanced education system? Thomas Hatch explores this question in the final post in a series that … Continue reading
Could concerns about the academic pressure on students in China lead to real changes in conventional schooling? Stability & change in the education system in China (Part 4)
Can growing concerns about students’ mental health and wellbeing support the emergence of educational practices that combine a focus on academics with more student-centered pedagogies? In the fourth post of this five-part series, Thomas Hatch explores this question, prompted by … Continue reading
Can AI “ignite the mind and heart”? Stability & change in the education system in China (Part 3)
What challenges and opportunities can AI create for creating a more balanced education system? In the third post in this five-part series of reflections on his visits to innovative schools in China, Thomas Hatch describes what he learned from a … Continue reading