Research and Policy | Grounded in Practice
Policy shapes what happens in classrooms, and classrooms should shape policy. We bring education research and policy analysis to the questions schools are actually facing, and we share what we learn along the way.
From evidence to everyday decisions
Ethos brings graduate training in education policy together with years of running data, compliance, and accountability systems inside public charter schools.
Policy Analysis for Schools
We help leaders understand how local, state, and federal requirements shape their model, from accountability and compliance to special education and multilingual learner policy.
Evidence matched to decisions
We connect research to the decisions in front of your team, so data answers real questions instead of filling a dashboard.
Implementation Research
We partner with schools and small nonprofits on research and evaluation designed to be useful to the people doing the work.
Focus Areas
Pictured: Betsy presenting at The Montessori Event, 2024.
Where our research and policy work concentrates on the following…
Public Montessori and public accountability
Multilingual learners and dual-language education
Data, compliance, and equitable access
Montessori
Research Library
Have a research or policy question? Let's talk
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This critical literature review explores how classroom design influences attentional development in early childhood education (ECE). Although attention and self-regulation are frequently cited as barriers to school readiness, emerging research suggests that attention is not a fixed trait but one shaped by environmental conditions. Integrating insights from neuroeducation, embodied cognition, and biopsychosocial models, this review highlights how sensory-conscious and biophilic design elements, such as natural lighting, reduced visual clutter, and organic materials, can lower allostatic load, support attentional focus, and enhance encoding for content retention. https://journals.ku.edu/jmr/article/view/24130/22080
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Although preschool is often considered positive, optimal preschool models are debated. Montessori is a longstanding model that has not been rigorously examined. We followed from age 3 through kindergarten 588 children entered in competitive lotteries at 24 public Montessori schools across the United States. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2506130122
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