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
Highs in the East, Lows in the West, and Concerns All Around: Scanning the Education Headlines for the 2025 PISA results
This week, Thomas Hatch and Anushka Banerjee pull together some of the headlines discussing the release of the 2025 PISA tests in reading, math and science, For IEN’s coverege of other OECD reports on education tests, see: Scanning the headlines … Continue reading
Challenges, Policies, and Politics in the New School Year in the US: Going back to school in a divided world in 2026 (Part 2)
Questions about funding, supplies, safety, numerous policy changes, and the growing backlash leading to bans on AI and cellphones are among the many local and national issues in the news as students go back to school in the US. Last … Continue reading
Safety and shortages or banning technology? Going back to school in a divided world in 2026 (Part 1)
Going back to school looks very different for students in developing countries and those in developed countries in Europe, Canada and elsewhere. Although the issues in Europe focus on limits on screens, cellphones, and AI, concerns about repairing facilities, dealing … Continue reading
Back with Back to School Posts Next Week
IEN will be taking a break for one more week, but we will be back September 9th with our annual scan of news stories related to the start f the new school year in many parts of the world. In … Continue reading
Revisiting a trip to China (for IEN’s summer break)
IEN will be taking a summer hiatus for the next two weeks. We will return on September 9th with our annual series scanning the headlines of the “back to school” news from around the world. This fall, we also expect … Continue reading