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The CEP Manifesto · A call to action Schools Should Pursue Excellence “It’s time for No Child Kept Behind.”
Reading lists Our Education Reading List An ongoing map of useful efforts to address excellence within education. Reading List for Developing Readers Books that build what children know.
Collections 01Annual Collection of Essays The 2025–2026 edition 02Model Policies Recommendations · Policies · Position Papers 03Living Article Collection

The Library

Our purpose is to understand the core features of schools and learning communities that allow students to pursue excellence, to map out and execute a step by step plan to get there, and to tear down every cultural, policy, or information barrier in the way.

The CEP manifesto cover: a tree rising from flames
The CEP Manifesto · A call to action

Schools Should Pursue Excellence

The pursuit of excellence is not only possible, it is pleading to be tried. We already know what changes to start with. If you think excellence matters, we want to work with you.

“We’ve tried No Child Left Behind. It’s time for No Child Kept Behind.”

Jack Despain Zhou

Read the manifesto →

Reading lists

A reviewed book list

Book List for Developing Readers

Books that build what children know

What it is Knowledge-rich books for developing readers, from picture books to books for older teens. Each has a short review from the teacher, educator or parent who recommended it. Most are nonfiction that children enjoy, such as comic-book histories. The novels teach something real too, such as what happened during a historical event.

What it isn’t A list of every good book. It includes only books that build knowledge, with a uniquely American focus.

Browse by age and subject Open the book list →
An ongoing reading list

Our Education Reading List

An ongoing map of useful efforts to address excellence within education.

What it is An insight from psychology here, one from economics there: interest in excellence in education has long been fractured. This list tries to triangulate those fragments into a baseline of common knowledge. Our ongoing goal is to build a corpus for ambitious educators and learners to work from.

What it isn’t An endorsement of each work’s methodology or conclusions. It is an endorsement of the work’s importance and relevance for thinking about questions of excellence in education today.

Browse by topic Open the reading list →

Collections

01

Annual Collection of Essays

Collected Essays 2025–2026 cover, edited by Sebastian Garren
Collected Essays: 2025–2026

Twenty essays from the Center's first two years — the case for excellence, the policy fights, and the classrooms proving it — gathered into a single readable edition.

Read the edition →
02

Model Policies

Living legislation and rules we’ve drafted for lawmakers to adopt.

  • Recommendations
  • Policies
  • Position Papers
§ Recommendations What Should the Department of Education Do? Our plan for a federal pro-excellence education agenda.
03

The Living Article Collection