Many public higher education institutions throughout the United States are experiencing drastic shifts related to their services for underrepresented and at-risk student populations. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts have been at the American forefront since as early as the 1950s-1960s when the Civil Rights Movement first gained…

Public service reforms often provoke political backlash. Can they also yield political benefits for the politicians who champion them? We study a Wisconsin law that weakened teachers' unions and liberalized pay, prompting mass protests. Exploiting its staggered implementation across school districts, we find that the reform cut union revenues,…

In this article, James Joshua Coleman and Jon Wargo interrogate the (queer) child as a concept and specter that haunts civic life in the United States. Whereas scholars across a range of fields and standpoints have questioned the value of LGBTQ+ inclusion in public school curricula, and society more broadly, together Coleman and Wargo wonder at…

Objective: Across the USA, state-level Bills have been introduced that curtail discussion about gender, sexuality, and biology in public schools. Specifically, two Bills have recently been passed in the states of Florida and Texas that we engage with here as we think through the following questions: what ideologies related to bodies and sexuality…

As technology becomes more important in our daily lives, teaching computer science in schools is becoming a priority. In 2022, the Tennessee General Assembly passed PC 979, a law requiring all public and charter schools to teach computer science at every grade level including kindergarten classrooms (Tennessee Department of Education, 2024). While…

This article provides an overview of the research method meta-analysis as a tool for general music advocacy. "Why music education?" is framed as underlying advocacy efforts, noting a historical duality between musical outcomes and nonmusical outcomes. A vignette is provided to show how meta-analyses were used to impact legislation on…

States recognize that a workforce skill shortage exists and have started educational initiatives to prepare students for workforce readiness and postsecondary success. There is a growing consensus among states that the goal of our education system is to prepare students for a career, college, or the military by providing all students with…

A recent survey by the National Association for Music Education (Salvador, 2023) indicated that two-thirds of the music educators participating in the survey reported "negative impacts on their teaching, their students, or themselves." The absurdity of the attacks is surely matched only by the irony, given the overwhelmingly White…

In recent years, a scientific approach to reading education has gained traction due to the joint efforts of educators, parents, and state leaders. This movement for better reading instruction has helped to fuel a wave of legislation to address widespread and persistent reading deficits of American students. While reading difficulties cut across…

This article discusses the historical context, contemporary iterations, and policy processes and political actors that produced Florida's House Bill 1557, which criminalizes discourse in schools, including curricular and instructional materials containing any perceived reference to LGBTQIA+ identities. Implementation and considerations of H.B.…

The Colorado Re-Engaged (CORE) initiative, created under House Bill 21-1330, allows a four-year institution of higher education (IHE) to award an associate degree to former students who meet eligibility requirements -- including having already earned at least 70 credit hours before stopping-out of a bachelor's program. Under HB21-1330, each…

2024 marked another year of considerable legislative progress by charter school supporters across the country. Advocates notched significant policy wins from coast to coast, including in red, blue, and purple states. This report provides highlights from this year's state legislative activity across the country, organized into the following…

Learning to read proficiently is an essential skill needed in both academics and life. Without this skill, one's opportunities are limited socioeconomically, socially, and throughout all daily life. However, there is growing concern that the methodology currently used in many school systems is not preparing children for the rigors of reading in…

This study examined intervention fidelity (IF) and the extent to which this essential feature of response to intervention (RtI) was included within artifacts (laws and guidance documents) for states requiring RtI for specific learning disability (SLD) identification. Intervention fidelity is defined as the degree to which an intervention is…

Pursuant to CRS 23-1-141, the Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE) is required to report on necessary steps and any barriers identified including recommendations for necessary legislative changes to deliver a statewide longitudinal data system in Colorado that connects K-12, postsecondary education and workforce information. This report…