The Kalamazoo Promise (KPromise) is amongst the most well-known and generous tuition-free policies. This study advances the understanding of Promise student performance and persistence. We used a weighted-least square means and variance adjusted (WLSMV) SEM approach and k-nearest neighbors (k-NN) to deal with missing data. The main model suggested…

Every year, State of the State addresses offer time for new and incumbent governors to outline policy priorities and celebrate state accomplishments. Since 2005, we've tracked, analyzed and identified education policy trends in governors' State of the State addresses to help you understand trending education issues across states. This year's…

The purpose of this study was to understand the varying state educational infrastructure for English Learners (ELs) and to examine the relationship between the educational infrastructure for ELs and student achievement in the U.S. public schools. Based on Hopkins et al. (2016)'s state educational system for ELs framework, a date set was…

This report presents information about the Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs, including information about courses, examinations, and examination fees. The report also discusses the Texas AP Incentive Program, Texas policy related to uses of AP and IB examination results, and data sources and methodological…

Objective: States increasingly create promise programs to increase college enrollment and degree attainment. The objective of this study was to understand the experiences of adult learners using the Tennessee Reconnect Grant (TN Reconnect) as they transitioned to becoming college students. Methods: Drawing upon interviews with 23 adult learners,…

Research shows that chronic absenteeism can affect academic performance in later grades and is a key early warning sign that a student is more likely to drop out of high school. Several states enacted legislation to address this issue, and many states are currently discussing the utility of chronic absenteeism as an indicator of school quality or…

This report follows the high school graduating class of 2020 into their first year of college--high school seniors when the pandemic began. The initial impact of the pandemic on college-going pathways and outcomes is a focal point. While the data is concerning, there are successes: (1) Dual enrollment participation continues to increase; (2) More…

This document records testimony from a hearing before the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education that was held to discuss the effectiveness of early childhood education programs. During the hearing, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) testified on their new report which finds the federal government provides…

Since the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in 2015, state teams have been preparing their state plans aligned with ESSA for submission in April or September 2017 to the U.S. Department of Education. Because ESSA lands much of the decision-making and responsibility in education at the state and local levels, state education leaders…

With the passage of HB 5 in 2013, the Foundation High School Program became the graduation program for all Texas public high school students beginning with the entering Grade 9 students in 2014-15. The new graduation requirements introduced greater flexibility for students in earning a high school diploma. Updates to curriculum and graduation…

The final report on the evaluation of House Bill (HB) 5 provides (1) an update on changes made to the current policy for graduation, including coursework, testing, and accountability during the 84th and 85th Texas Legislative Sessions; (2) an update on the implementation of HB 5 by school districts since 2014-15; and (3) a preliminary look at the…

In June 2013, the 83rd Texas Legislature passed House Bill (HB) 5, which established a new high school program--the Foundation High School Program. The new high school graduation program was required for all entering Grade 9 students in all Texas public school districts in 2014-15. The Foundation High School Program was designed to give students…

New York is poised to take an important step to improve student achievement by expanding learning time for students attending high-poverty, low-performing schools. Recent district- and state-level investments in expanded learning time--a promising strategy to close achievement and opportunity gaps--will give students more time to learn core…

Since the passage of No Child Left Behind, large-scale assessments have come to play a central role in federal and state education accountability systems. Teachers and parents have expressed a number of concerns about their state testing programs, such as too much time devoted to testing and the high-stakes use of testing for teacher evaluation.…

Massachusetts is one of a handful of states that is often recognized as a leader in public education, and for good reason. The Commonwealth consistently outperforms most states on national reading and math tests and often leads the pack in education innovations. "Starting Young: Massachusetts Birth-3rd Grade Policies that Support Children's…