The National Center for American Education is an independent initiative to define what an American education should produce and to help the country build toward it.
For years, we have struggled with the idea of a national level of education. But this is because we have conflated leadership with control. NCAE seeks to fill the national leadership gap in education in this country. Its goals are to create a national vision. Build cohesion. Find efficiencies. Work to a common purpose. Foster communication. Create structure. All objectives of national programs essential to our democracy in other areas.
The Perspective
Forming citizens capable of self-government is the task of our republic. It is also a task America has never fully answered. We are a country of strong convictions and fierce independence. Agreeing on something this fundamental is not easy.
What we did instead was build fifty state systems and fifteen thousand districts, each working toward the same goal on their own. No shared answer to the question underneath all of it: what should an American education produce?
We want to ask that question together. And work backward from the answer to build something every American child deserves.
Why Independent
Defining what an American education should produce is the work of the nation. It belongs at the national level, supported by national resources, accountable to the American people.
An independent initiative benefits from being able to ask questions without constraint and follow the evidence wherever it leads. Our goal is to build a foundation the country can take up as its own.
Who This Is For
Parents. Teachers. Principals. Superintendents. University faculty. Legislators. Researchers. Citizens who have looked at American education and thought: we can do better.
This is not a partisan project. The idea that a democracy is obligated to form its citizens is as old as the republic, and has been made from every point on the American political spectrum. It is made here as a matter of national interest.
What You Will Find Here
The Vision — what we are doing
The Foundations — American tradition of education for a republic
The Graduate Profile — behavioral definition of what an American education should produce
The Developmental Model — how formation unfolds across the five stages of childhood
The Framework — architecture of a coherent American education system, backwards-engineered from the Graduate Profile.
Infrastructure — existing organizations behind national functions
Innovative Practices — curated collection of schools, programs, and practices, shared as a resource for educators
Join Us
Americans are already doing extraordinary things in education. What we are missing is a national effort to connect that work, learn from it, and help it grow.
If you are doing innovative work in your school, district, or organization, we want to hear about it. If you want to follow along as we build, subscribe below.