Celebrating a Decade of EdReports Impact
Since the launch of our first free reports in 2015, EdReports has been dedicated to improving the quality of K–12 instructional materials, ensuring every student has access to the content they need to succeed in college, careers, and beyond. As we mark our 10-year milestone, we continue our commitment to driving excellence in education, championing innovation, and partnering with educators to shape the future of learning.
Our
Impact
Increasing Demand for Excellence
“EdReports has fundamentally changed the marketplace by holding people accountable to higher expectations for curriculum, while also offering a blueprint for how to transform industries—disciplined, sustained effort over time.”
Rebecca Kockler, Executive Director, Reading Reimagined and former Assistant Superintendent of Academic Content at the Louisiana Department of Education
At EdReports, we identify and drive demand for high-quality instructional materials so that more students have access to excellent curricula in the classroom. Because states and districts use our reports to better understand materials and push for quality content, publishers respond with improvements that better support the field. Across all reviewed content areas, we’ve seen a steady rise in curriculum quality, fueled by educators’ feedback and expectations.
40+
publishers have made improvements to their products in response to EdReports feedback
50%
of materials reviewed
by EdReports met
expectations for quality
alignment by the end
of 2024
Then
& Now:
Percentage of Materials Meeting Expectations for Quality
Alignment
ELA
Math
Science
Empowering Districts with Knowledge
“The work of EdReports reviewers is some of the most important work educators are doing. …. There was disbelief from our teachers and principals that we could actually find high-quality materials that reflected our students’ needs and what we wanted our young people to be engaging in. But as we involved EdReports we were able to build on the groundwork we had laid for decisions that needed to be made around standards-aligned curriculum. We were able to learn more about what to look for in high-quality materials. Our review committee still says this was the best professional learning they ever received.”
Dr. Sonja B. Santileses, CEO of Baltimore City Public Schools
Knowledge is power, and an ever-growing number of districts and school leaders recognize the power and potential of quality materials. Districts and states of all sizes face a variety of challenges when selecting and implementing materials. One key lever to address these challenges is through supporting states and districts to implement smart adoption practices and use EdReports reviews as part of the decision-making process.
1,785+
districts with documented use of EdReports
18M+
students are served by districts who have used EdReports
55%
of principals have heard of EdReports (up from 13% in 2017)
124+
of the largest 200 districts documented using EdReports
States Driving Systemic Change
“In Kentucky, we know that ensuring all students become strong readers requires access to instructional resources that are both high-quality and evidence-based. Having reliable, research-based information is essential for empowering school districts to select resources that are standards-aligned and meet the diverse literacy needs of our students. Tools that reflect the science of reading and support structured literacy practices help us make decisions that align with our literacy goals and ensure every child has the opportunity for vibrant learning and lifelong literacy success.”
Micki Ray Marinelli, Chief Academic Officer, Office of Teaching and Learning, Kentucky Department of Education
EdReports reviews represent an early step in a long journey toward student impact, and states play a pivotal role in promoting the use of high-quality instructional materials. By defining what quality looks like, supporting comprehensive selection processes, and incentivizing curriculum use paired with ongoing professional learning, states drive meaningful change. We're proud to have supported many states over the years through our reports, resources, thought leadership, and direct collaboration.
43
43 states have drawn on EdReports’ work to promote awareness and selection of high-quality materials since 2015. This includes 37 states that list EdReports as a resource and 16 with which we've collaborated directly.
- Uses EdReports as a Resource
- Does Not Use EdReports as a Resource
Supporting State Innovation
EdReports has collaborated on multiple initiatives with the High-Quality Instructional Materials and Professional Development (IMPD) Network and its member states since its 2017 inception.
Dynamic Growth in Website Reach and Engagement
"The research is clear—the effective use of quality instructional materials can make a tremendous difference in helping students achieve success. Those districts and schools showing improvement engage in rigorous and deliberate materials selection processes, including deeply involving teachers and providing the necessary professional development and implementation support. In so many places across the country, EdReports' reviews and resources are enabling these approaches, informing the first steps leading to classroom experiences that raise achievement for students and help them reach their fullest potential."
Paolo DeMaria, President and CEO, the National Association of State Boards of Education, and EdReports Board Member
Identifying excellence is an important step in achieving EdReports’ mission, but we know this is not enough to transform student learning outcomes. Reviews of instructional materials alone matter little if no one is reading them—but when districts have credible information about what makes a strong curriculum, they’re more equipped to demand quality from the instructional materials market. That’s why we’ve prioritized ensuring free and easy access to our reports and published extensive resources to help educators leverage the information in the reports. This focus has driven substantial growth in engagement, with annual website pageviews increasing from 500,000 in 2015 to over 4 million in 2024—totaling more than 20 million all-time views and reaching 5 million unique users.
20M+
views of the EdReports website
5M+
unique users of the EdReports website
14M+
views of K–12 reports
2.5M+
views of EdReports resources
Continuous Expansion of Reviews
“For years, Student Achievement Partners and EdReports have worked across the education sector to support educators and elevate the role of high-quality instructional materials in advancing equity and excellence in education. EdReports‘ 2025 launch of version 2.0 review tools is a testament to their dedication to learning from the field and refining its processes to meet evolving needs, ensuring all students have access to materials that foster engagement, rigor, and success.”
Joy Delizo-Osborne, President & CEO, Student Achievement Partners
What began as 87 grade-level reviews of K–8 math materials in 2015 now includes more than 1,200 reviews of K–12 math, English language arts, foundational skills, and science programs. We expanded to high school math and grades 3–8 ELA reports in 2016, K–2 comprehensive and high school ELA in 2017, middle school science and K–2 foundational skills supplements in 2019, K–5 science in 2020, and high school science in 2023. 2025 sees further growth, with the beginning of our first-ever reviews of pre-kindergarten instructional materials.
400+
K–12 ELA grade-level reports completed
600+
K–12 math grade-level reports completed
100+
K–12 science grade-level reports completed
97%
of the known K–12 market reviewed for comprehensive ELA and math materials
By Educators, For Educators
“Becoming an EdReports reviewer transformed the way I understood and discussed curriculum with my districts. The training gave me invaluable knowledge I could immediately apply, and participating in my first review deepened my perspective on high-quality instructional materials. Later, as an EdReports Klawe Fellow, I had the opportunity to expand that knowledge further—gaining insight into curriculum at the state level and working with leadership to drive meaningful change.”
Jonathan Regino, PreK–12 Math Supervisor, Interboro School District, Pennsylvania
Since day one, EdReports has centered educators in every aspect of our work. Educators lead the way in advocating for the tools and resources they and their fellow teachers need to ensure all students are ready for college, careers, and beyond. Reviewers, selected through a rigorous process, dedicate over 100 hours per series report to analyzing every page of instructional materials. These expert educators—including classroom teachers, district coaches, and state leaders—collaborate in professional learning communities and receive extensive training to ensure thorough, reliable evaluations. Their dedication has driven a decade of impactful reviews, empowering educators nationwide with the information to choose high-quality materials.
1000+
educator reviewers have participated in EdReports review teams
50
states represented within our diverse reviewer network, including Washington, D.C.
250+
teams of educator reviewers have collaborated to conduct reviews
43
educators took
part in the
Klawe Fellowship
from 2019 to 2024, designing and implementing
curriculum‑focused impact projects in their
communities
Our
Journey
Timeline
- Legend:
- Innovations
- Reports
- Milestones
- Resources
- Tools
2014
In 2012, a group of 24 educational thinkers and researchers gathered at a California summit on technology use in K–12 math. But their focus shifted to a pressing need: a "Consumer Reports for school materials." Following a period of project scoping, process design, and fundraising, EdReports was founded in July 2014 to do the work that continues to this day: conducting "by educator, for educator" reviews of curricula for alignment to college-and career-ready standards and other elements of quality such as teacher and student supports.
A total of 19 educators began reviewing 21 K–8 math programs in August 2014.
Quote
"This kind of information is just desperately needed. There's just no question there's immense demand right now."
2015
The first reports of K–8 math materials were published on the EdReports website on March 4, 2015. They comprised 87 grade-level reports, with three of 20 series meeting expectations for alignment.
2016
Following our inaugural K–8 math reports in 2015, we published our first ever reviews of high school math materials in May 2016. We had released 14 high school math reports by the end of 2016, of which three met expectations for quality alignment.
In August 2016, we released our first English Language Arts reports, finding three of seven series to be aligned with quality standards. Building on the success of our K–12 math reviews and reports, the new ELA reports evaluated materials for standards alignment, text quality and complexity, and usability, including educator supports, lesson structure, and student assessments.
“We have heard from so many teachers and administrators who let us know how our reviews of math materials filled a crucial gap when making purchasing decisions. We are delighted to be able to expand this effort to identify high-quality ELA materials as well.”
2017
Our first reviews of high school ELA curricula were unveiled in February 2017. We released five high school ELA reports across 2017, with two of five meeting expectations for quality alignment
Quickly following inaugural high school ELA reports, our first reviews of K–2 ELA materials were released in April 2017. These reports aimed to meet field demand for information about programs that provide a strong foundation for students' literacy skills. Of the first six curricula reviewed, two met expectations for quality alignment.
2018
In 2018, EdReports published its first comprehensive case study of a district selection process. The study highlighted how Newport-Mesa Unified School District in California used an educator-led approach to select curriculum, leveraging EdReports reviews to empower its adoption team. We have since published multiple case studies and spotlights, covering district and state processes in Maryland, Ohio, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Washington, and Wisconsin.
“Because teachers felt their voices were heard and they were part of the decision, they are really making a very successful roll out of the new materials.”
As 2018 came to a close, we had completed nearly 500 grade-level reports across all of K–12 math and ELA, representing more than 90% of the then-known instructional materials market.
2019
In February 2019, we were proud to release our first middle school science reports, addressing a clear need for in-depth information about Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)-aligned materials. Our educator reviewers evaluated programs against the five characteristics of NGSS innovations: Making Sense of Phenomena and Designing Solutions to Problems, Three-Dimensional Learning, Building K–12 Progressions, Alignment with English Language Arts and Mathematics, and All Standards, All Students.
November 2019 saw EdReports break new ground with the release of our first reviews of supplemental ELA foundational skills programs. Through market research and our work with educators across the country, we knew well that many school districts supplement ELA instruction with a foundational skills program, but independent analyses of these programs had largely been absent.
The five new reports we released in 2019 began to fill this information gap, finding that three programs partially met expectations for quality alignment while two did not meet expectations.
Our website was launched in March of 2015 and achieved almost 500,000 views from 50,000 users by the end of 2015. Four years later, the reach of our reports and resources had risen dramatically, with 2019 seeing us pass the twin milestones of 5 million all-time pageviews and 1 million all-time website users.
Instructional materials affect student achievement, yet before 2019, little was known about curriculum adoption and classroom use. In 2018, we conducted research to better understand the materials landscape and to evaluate the impact of our work. Drawing on data from EdReports reviews and the RAND Corporation's American Instructional Resources Survey (AIRS) project on the use of ELA and math curriculum, our State of the Instructional Materials market study aimed to help the field better understand how widely quality materials were being used in classrooms and what percentage of current classroom materials were high-quality—and we have continued these studies every year since.
Empowering educators with information so they can advocate for better materials in their own states and districts has always been core to EdReports' mission. In 2019, we launched the Klawe Fellowship: a program to train and support educator reviewers to develop leadership skills and make a lasting impact in their communities.
Named after founding EdReports Board President, Dr. Maria Klawe, 43 fellows took part in the program between 2019 and 2024, each designing and implementing their own project to influence local policies and practices to promote quality curriculum use. The first cohort even published a book recounting the stories of their journeys as education advocates!
“When I began my teaching career, I could barely speak up in a faculty meeting. But now, because of the professional learning and leadership development I have gained from organizations like EdReports, I can sit down with CEOs of multi-million dollar corporations, with state and local policy makers, and with district leaders to advocate for better materials and a better education for all students.”
2020
During the COVID-19 pandemic, EdReports developed dedicated resources and enhanced reports to support districts. By collaborating with publishers, we gathered technology information for standards-aligned materials, highlighting their digital design and capabilities to help school systems better prepare for remote and hybrid learning needs. These resources aimed to help communities adopt and adapt instructional programs, ensuring continued student learning in any setting.
“Our district had adopted high-quality, standards-aligned ELA and math curriculums. We were able to use EdReports' enhanced reports to help drive conversations with these publishers to create specific digital resources that we needed during remote instruction. Using these reports resulted in a closer partnership between our technology department and the content experts.”
In 2020, we developed our guide to selecting and implementing high-quality instructional materials with a wealth of supporting templates and example documents to help school systems conduct a comprehensive and smart curriculum adoption that prioritizes local needs and ongoing student success. Since its launch, the page has been viewed over 700,000 times, making it our most-used website resource beyond our reports themselves.
2020 saw EdReports introduce significant updates across all our review tools (the resources our reviewers use to evaluate instructional materials). The first reports using the updated tools were released in 2021. These enhancements met evolving educator needs and market innovations and were developed with extensive input from educators, researchers, and other curriculum experts.
Changes included more detailed information on coherence and the Math Practices in math, and clearer identification of program "bloat" and increased robustness of early literacy criteria in ELA. We also updated our usability indicators across all content areas, better highlighting diverse student needs, including those of multilingual learners, and technology compatibility. These revisions strengthened our capacity to help districts choose aligned, high-quality materials to meet diverse demands.
Our very first K–5 science reports were released in December 2020. One program partially met expectations for quality alignment and one did not meet expectations.
2021
2020 saw EdReports introduce significant updates across all our review tools (the resources our reviewers use to evaluate instructional materials). The first reports using the updated tools were released in 2021. These enhancements met evolving educator needs and market innovations and were developed with extensive input from educators, researchers, and other curriculum experts.
Changes included more detailed information on coherence and the Math Practices in math, and clearer identification of program "bloat" and increased robustness of early literacy criteria in ELA. We also updated our usability indicators across all content areas, better highlighting diverse student needs, including those of multilingual learners, and technology compatibility. These revisions strengthened our capacity to help districts choose aligned, high-quality materials to meet diverse demands.
After the double landmark of five million all-time views and one million all-time users of the EdReports website in 2019, just two years later both numbers had doubled. Site traffic continued to grow rapidly as more and more educators became aware of the importance of selecting high-quality curriculum and of using our free, "by educator" reports to inform selection decisions.
2022
In 2022, EdReports released an extensive landscape analysis of 15 review tools used nationwide to evaluate instructional materials for culturally responsive practices.
The report highlighted existing efforts to support culturally relevant education while identifying areas for improvement, such as shared definitions and reviewer guidance. The analysis aimed to raise awareness of trends, showcase diverse stakeholder perspectives, and inspire educators to develop strong criteria for materials evaluation, addressing the gap in curriculum adequacy reported by many teachers.
EdReports partnered with four other nonprofits on a 2022 pilot review of middle school math programs to assess their support for multilingual learners, addressing a growing need as multilingual enrollment in K–12 schools surged to 4.9 million students.
The pilot, conducted with California educators, provided critical insights into how programs integrate language supports to ensure equitable access to grade-level content. These efforts, spotlighting significant performance gaps exacerbated by the pandemic, emphasized the importance of language development across content areas. Further pilots of multilingual learner tools for ELA and science continued through 2023, underscoring EdReports' commitment to supporting diverse learners with high-quality materials.
We reached the landmark of a thousand grade-level reports published on the EdReports website in 2022, spanning K–12 math and ELA materials, K–8 science materials, and K–2 ELA foundational skills supplements. We had also reviewed 97% of the known ELA and math materials market by the end of 2022.
2023
We released our inaugural reports of high school science materials in June 2023, rounding out our coverage of K–12 comprehensive materials across all of ELA, math, and science.
“An overwhelming 96% of science teachers report wanting standards-aligned materials, and these reviews can act as a mechanism to demand better curriculum for students”
In fall 2023, we introduced Science of Reading Snapshots for all K–5 ELA reports to help users more quickly and easily see how early literacy materials measure up against the research on reading science. The Snapshots summarize how each program performs against five key components of reading instruction: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
We accrued an additional 5 million views and 2 million website users between 2021 and 2023 taking us to all-time totals of 15 million views and 4 million users.
We branched out into a new medium in 2023, with the EdReports EdVoices podcast! We released 16 rich, engaging discussions across 2023 and 2024. Guests have ranged from inspiring educators, internal experts, and thought leaders from across the field, covering ELA, math, science, pre-K, the materials review and selection processes, culturally relevant practices, multilingual learner supports, and many more.
2024
In spring 2024, EdReports released its first “version 2.0” reports of foundational skills supplements, created using newly-revised review tools. The updated tools and reports aimed to empower districts to select materials that better meet educators' and students' early literacy needs, ensuring a solid foundation for success.
Developed with extensive input from educators, researchers, and policymakers, the tools emphasize stronger alignment to seminal literacy research. Key enhancements included more direct integration of theoretical models, putting the research first and incorporating the standards as appropriate, clearly flagging the presence of three-cueing, and an increased focus on phonemic awareness.
“EdReports' clear alignment to the research has had a major positive impact on how we review programs, particularly the non-negotiables. As a reviewer, I also really appreciate that the review tools explicitly outline examples of what should not be present in materials.”
2024 saw our second major, subject-wide revision of all K–12 review tools after 2020's v1.5 updates. The first reviews began in early 2025, with the first reports expected later in the year.
This effort took many months of dedicated work by our expert teams, incorporating extensive insights from educators, researchers, nonprofits, school system leaders, and advisors from across the field.
Key updates included:
- Significant enhancements to ELA criteria to ensure stronger alignment with the science of reading and structured literacy practices.
- New, multilingual learner (MLL)-specific Review Criteria for each content area to enable broader and deeper evaluation for MLL supports.
- Deepened emphasis on the Standards for Mathematical Practice in math criteria and phenomena-driven, three-dimensional instruction in science criteria.
- Streamlining of criteria and gateway structures across all content areas to increase consistency, clarity, and efficiency, and to facilitate a more nimble review process.
In July 2024, we proudly announced our intention to review pre-kindergarten (pre–K) instructional materials and began developing a review tool and process. The first pre-K reviews are due to begin in 2025, with inaugural reports expected in early 2026. This expansion aims to support educators and families in gaining a deeper understanding of quality educational resources, empowering decision-makers to select materials that effectively prepare students for success in school and life.
2025
As we move further into 2025, we’re already seeing the impact of some of our most ambitious updates to date. The first reviews using our version 2.0 tools got underway in early 2025 and the first reports are expected later this year. These tools—our most comprehensive updates since 2020—reflect the latest research, educator feedback, and field-wide advancements, offering more precise and actionable insights for districts and educators.
Among the key enhancements: stronger alignment with the science of reading and structured literacy in ELA, refined math criteria with deepened emphasis on the Standards for Mathematical Practice, further integration of phenomena-driven, three-dimensional learning in science, and the introduction of dedicated review tools for evaluating multilingual learner supports in each content area.
2025 also marks the beginning of our long-anticipated pre-kindergarten (pre-K) reviews. With inaugural reports expected in early 2026, this work will help early childhood educators make more informed choices about learning materials.
Alongside these efforts, we’re rolling out a major upgrade to our Reports Center, ensuring that the first reviews using our v2.0 tools are presented in an even more intuitive and user-friendly way. These enhancements will improve accessibility, streamline navigation, and provide clearer insights—helping decision-makers make confident, informed comparisons and selections.
Our
Future
Looking ahead to the next decade, our top priority remains the same as it has since 2015: delivering high-quality reviews that shape the creation, selection, and use of excellent instructional materials. Our future focus centers on four key priorities: expanding and refining our reviews, enhancing report accessibility, amplifying thought leadership, and leveraging data-driven insights. Together, these efforts enable EdReports to keep inspiring publishers to raise the bar on materials and empowering school systems to adopt the high-quality curricula every student needs to succeed.
Expanding and Deepening Reviews
We'll continue to support educator demand for improvements across the materials market through regular enhancements to our review tools, processes, and multi-year roadmap, including expanding into new content areas and material types.
Engaging & Usable Reports
We commit to continuously improve and refine our website user experience, ensuring reports are accessible, actionable, and easy for decision-makers to navigate.
Insight-Driven Market Influence
We aim to serve as a leading source of proactive insights on the instructional materials marketplace, ensuring that key decision-makers rely on our data-driven forecasts and market analyses to influence the adoption of HQIM.
Thought Leadership
We're dedicated to affirming EdReports' position as a leading HQIM expert through strategic thought leadership campaigns that leverage partnerships, events, and data-driven insights, amplifying influence and driving demand.