Latest

Big ideas, bold solutions. Explore the latest research, analysis, and policy insights from our experts.

Issue

How to Get Universal Child Care: Toolkits for State Policy and Systems Change

A diverse group of people marching in a vibrant street parade, led by a person with a megaphone and another playing a drum.

How to Get Universal Child Care: Toolkits for State Policy and Systems Change

Six new toolkits from the Better Life Lab provide advice and resources for child care advocates, policymakers, and funders.

Oct 8, 2026

Sealing the Trapdoors: The State Policies That Matter for Equitable K-12 School Funding

A child wearing a big hat stares at a hole in the sidewalk

Report / In Depth

Sealing the Trapdoors: The State Policies That Matter for Equitable K-12 School Funding

This guide reviews the state policies that affect school funding equity to enable policymakers and advocates to take action.

Oct 7, 2026

Zahava Stadler

Texas’s Path to HB 2: Looking to Past Teacher Certification Policies to Move Forward

a wide open rural landscape with blue sky

In Depth

Texas’s Path to HB 2: Looking to Past Teacher Certification Policies to Move Forward

This brief reviews the teacher prep and certification policies that preceded HB 2 in Texas.

Sep 30, 2026

Melissa Tooley

Changing the Narrative on Child Care and Early Education

A woman stands beside a colorful playground smiling as a child climbs a green ladder.

In Depth

Changing the Narrative on Child Care and Early Education

Through reporting grants, the Better Life Lab supports storytellers to spotlight child care solutions in the national conversation.

Sep 23, 2026

Rebecca Gale

High Cohort Default Rates May Be Looming. Here’s What You Need to Know.

a student wearing a backpack walks in an all white lobby

In Depth

High Cohort Default Rates May Be Looming. Here’s What You Need to Know.

The Cohort Default Rate measures whether institutions leave significant shares of their borrowers unable to repay.

Sep 21, 2026

Olivia Sawyer, Colin Kerr, Sarah Sattelmeyer, Ben Cecil

The Future of Multilateralism Is Up for Grabs

Empty international assembly hall with rows of desks and seats facing a central podium, wood-paneled walls, colorful abstract murals, and a camera in the center aisle.

In Depth

The Future of Multilateralism Is Up for Grabs

As the multilateral order frays, building effective coalitions will be essential to sustaining international cooperation.

Sep 17, 2026

Heela Rasool-Ayub

It’s Worse Than You Think: How AI Is Undermining Democracy and National Security

Rooftop billboard reading “AI runs better on us” above an elevated roadway with several cars.

In Depth

It’s Worse Than You Think: How AI Is Undermining Democracy and National Security

AI is eroding critical institutions—journalism, education, courts, and political processes—while strengthening authoritarian repression.

Sep 10, 2026

Daniel Kimmage, Darjan Vujica

Safe People, Safe Places, Safe Services: How Parents of Young Children See Safety

A man and a woman pushing a stroller walk along a canal path in an urban area, with modern skyscrapers and construction sites visible in the background.

In Depth

Safe People, Safe Places, Safe Services: How Parents of Young Children See Safety

Families define “safety” through more than crime statistics, but unequal resources shape who can act on it.

Sep 2, 2026

Keara Cormier-Hill

The Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, and Bedouin Gun Runners

A person in military uniform loads a rocket into a multiple rocket launcher system at dusk, with an armored vehicle visible in the background.

Report / In Depth

The Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, and Bedouin Gun Runners

Iran has cultivated a vast network of allies and proxies in Jordan, despite the country’s close military ties to the United States.

Sep 1, 2026

Jeremy Hodge

Toward Democracy-Deepening Public Participation and Engagement in Federal Policymaking

A diverse group of six people are seated in a circle, engaged in a discussion, with an older man in a gray cardigan speaking animatedly at the center.

Report / In Depth

Toward Democracy-Deepening Public Participation and Engagement in Federal Policymaking

Strengthening public engagement with the federal government offers a critical path toward rebuilding and revitalizing American democracy.

Aug 27, 2026

Sam Berger, Hollie Russon Gilman, Alex Hertel-Fernandez, K. Sabeel Rahman

Education & Work

Democratic Futures

Global Security

Technology & Democracy

Thriving Families

What Parents of Young Kids Want: Insights from the 2026 National Parent Survey

New America Celebrates 2026 Pulitzer Prizes

The Care Disconnect: Americans Misjudge Care Realities, But Know Families Need Help

A Model for Associational Party Building

Redrawing School Boundaries for Fairer Funding

Reframing Fusion Voting as a Practical, Powerful Reform Strategy

Harnessing Terrorism Data to Reshape U.S. National Security Policy

Establishing a National Housing Loss Rate

New America Fellows

The Inheritance

Forged from the Fires: Rebuilding Child Care in L.A. and Beyond Through Storytelling That Facilitates Policy Change

Rebuilding American Democracy Through Public Participation

Demystifying Disability in a Changing World

Issue

Program

Issue

Program

Topic

Project/Initiative

Expert

Type

Fellowships

Podcasts

Awards

Dates

Start Date

End Date

How to Get Universal Child Care: Toolkits for State Policy and Systems Change

Sealing the Trapdoors: The State Policies That Matter for Equitable K-12 School Funding

Texas’s Path to HB 2: Looking to Past Teacher Certification Policies to Move Forward

Changing the Narrative on Child Care and Early Education

High Cohort Default Rates May Be Looming. Here’s What You Need to Know.

The Future of Multilateralism Is Up for Grabs

It’s Worse Than You Think: How AI Is Undermining Democracy and National Security

Safe People, Safe Places, Safe Services: How Parents of Young Children See Safety

The Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, and Bedouin Gun Runners

Toward Democracy-Deepening Public Participation and Engagement in Federal Policymaking