Texas has a rich history as a leader in innovation. The Lone Star State is responsible for game-changing inventions like the handheld calculator, 3D printing – and even the frozen margarita. It’s the home of NASA’s Houston Space Center, Texas Instruments, and Dell Computers.
Today, Texas continues to burnish its legacy as a state on the cutting edge by attracting high-tech businesses like Tesla, SpaceX, Oracle, and Blue Origin. Its economy is humming, growing at a faster rate than the nation’s economy overall. Over the last three years, nearly 140 companies have moved to Texas, drawn by factors such as appealing business incentives and robust research and development at its colleges and universities.
Yet, the state’s pipeline of future engineers, teachers, technologists, and business leaders is in danger of running dry. Everyday young Texans go to schools across the state facing challenges worsened by, and some exposed by, the COVID-19 pandemic. Chronic absenteeism. Declining test scores. Teacher shortages.
What’s the solution? In short, the answer is top-tier, research-backed innovations supporting K-12 students, families, and educators.
All eyes on Texas
For education reformers, all eyes are on Texas, which has long been a leader in national-level innovation.
Indeed, this is why Texan leaders in Congress should lead the charge to establish a National Center for Advanced Development in Education (NCADE) – essentially, an Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) for education. This new center would take on smart, high-reward R&D, like the U.S. did in the late 1950’s when it created the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) as a response to Sputnik.
DARPA’s approach to transformative R&D has produced innovations like the Internet, GPS, and RNA vaccines. Imagine what the brightest minds in our country could develop for students and teachers if we took that same approach for education.
Proponents of the work include both the Director of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), the U.S. Department of Education’s research arm, and well-respected education researchers in Texas like Peter Bergman.
DARPA’s approach to transformative R&D has produced innovations like the Internet, GPS, and RNA vaccines. Imagine what the brightest minds in our country could develop for students and teachers if we took that same approach for education.
Mark Schneider, the Director of IES whose six-year term is ending, asserts that the innovations that come out of NCADE will strengthen American education, particularly in STEM fields, and prepare younger generations for the jobs of the future. Schneider also makes the case that a skilled workforce, able to produce or adapt to the latest global innovations, will bolster national security. Recognizing the need for bolder, faster, more responsive R&D, Schneider and his team have been thoughtful stewards of the $30 million Congress directed to IES for what many consider to be an NCADE pilot. They understand that Congress can build on the pilot by authorizing NCADE and making informed-risk, high-reward R&D in education a sustained effort, rather than a one-off experiment.
Tapping Into AI's Potential
Just as important, there are many in Texas along with diverse coalitions like the Alliance for Learning Innovation, which I’m a part of, that are calling for NCADE. Peter Bergman of the University of Texas-Austin and Learning Collider, a social science research lab, argues that recent advancements in artificial intelligence make this the right time to create an ARPA for education.
As Bergman notes, AI is advancing full force, particularly large language models like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude. Paired with a solid base of research in the science of learning, emerging technologies like AI could be developed purposefully and driven by evidence to measurably improve K-12 education.
NCADE-backed projects could leverage AI to improve feedback to students and teachers, build digital learning platforms that support personalized learning, develop Siri-like voice recognition software to assess literacy readiness gaps, or scale novel learning models to improve instructional quality – all while keeping data protected. These innovations would enable schools to make dramatic advances in teaching and learning, increasing students’ academic engagement and achievement, and creating the workforce needed to keep Texas – and the rest of the country – innovating for decades to come.
Investing In Rural Tech Talent
The opportunity for NCADE comes at a time when industry employers in Texas are rightfully worried about unfilled job vacancies in AI and other emerging technology fields, like semiconductors, cybersecurity, and advanced manufacturing. The president of the Texas Business Leadership Council is calling for the state to produce a larger pool of qualified workers for middle- and high-skill roles.
That struggle is felt keenly in small Texas towns that are grappling with labor shortages for jobs that require licenses and higher education degrees. North Texas has become an innovation hub but is experiencing a shortage of tech talent. Thanks to the CHIPS and Science Act, North Central Texas is home to the newly designated Texoma Semiconductor Tech Hub – but its success rides on the education and training of its residents.
NCADE-funded innovations could address all of those challenges by preparing students for careers in those advanced technology fields. With the innovative tools and resources, educators and school leaders will be able to cultivate future generations of technically-skilled and knowledgeable STEM professionals and technicians. Investing in STEM talent will fuel economic growth and maintain Texas’ competitive edge.
It’s up to Congress to make NCADE a reality — something that can be done by introducing and passing the New Essential Educational Discoveries (NEED) Act. The NEED Act was introduced last year in the U.S. House of Representatives and will soon be introduced in the U.S. Senate.
Supporting education R&D to spur innovations in teaching and learning seems to be one of the few bipartisan issues people can all rally around. A chance to seize this moment – where steep challenges are matched by huge opportunities — now exists. Policy leaders can invest in the type of high-potential, high-impact R&D projects Texas students need to be prepared for a bright future. By embracing NCADE, Texas can be at the forefront of innovation and forever improve its educational landscape and ensure the state’s businesses have the skilled employees they need to grow and thrive.
This article first appeared on Forbes.com
