New National Report Finds Strong Support Among Families and Education Leaders for Teaching Decision-Making Skills

Alliance for Decision Education’s “The State of Decision Education 2026” finds 77% of families and 68% of education leaders strongly agree that children should learn decision-making skills

PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 05, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A new national report from the Alliance for Decision Education finds strong support among families and education leaders for teaching children decision-making skills, with majorities in both groups saying they would advocate for Decision Education in their schools today.

According to “The State of Decision Education 2026,” 77% of surveyed families and 68% of surveyed education leaders strongly agree that children should learn decision-making skills. MMS Education conducted the national surveys on behalf of the Alliance using a YouGov panel.

That support extends to advocacy: 74% of surveyed families and 66% of surveyed education leaders say they would advocate for Decision Education in their schools today.

“We ask young people to make increasingly complex decisions, often without ever explicitly teaching them how to evaluate information, weigh their options, or think through uncertainty,” said Annie Duke, co-founder of the Alliance for Decision Education. “Generative AI is putting even more weight on our judgment. I can’t think of anything more important to teach students right now.”

The report also identifies opportunities to integrate decision-making skills into subjects already taught in schools. An analysis of academic standards in all 50 states and additional jurisdictions, including Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, found that more than 90% of states and jurisdictions show high alignment with Decision Education in science, nearly 90% show strong or high alignment in mathematics, and nearly 66% show high alignment in English language arts.

“Families and education leaders are sending a clear message: students need to have decision-making skills taught in school,” said David Samuelson, executive director of the Alliance for Decision Education. “With the pace of change affecting all of us faster than ever before, we can’t afford to wait to teach decision skills to all students. With this report, we intend to measure progress until every student has the skills to make better decisions in times of uncertainty.”

The report spotlights Tennessee as an example of what integration can look like in practice at the statewide level. Decision-making skills are part of the state’s Mathematical Reasoning for Decision Making course. A recent Alliance pilot with select teachers of the course linked mathematical reasoning and decision-making to students’ career-connected learning.

Read the full “State of Decision Education 2026” report here.

About the Alliance for Decision Education

The Alliance for Decision Education (the Alliance) is a national nonprofit and field builder with the mission of improving lives by empowering students with essential skills and dispositions for making better decisions. Co-founded by bestselling author, speaker, and consultant in decision-making Annie Duke, Ph.D., the Alliance partners with teachers, researchers, academic and business leaders, families, and community members to raise awareness and lead the growing call to have Decision Education taught in schools across the country. We believe that better decisions lead to better lives and a better society.

Media Contact

Ivy McDaniels
Communications Director
ivy@alliancefordecisioneducation.org
(610) 668-1484