Over the past decade, Illinois has emerged as a national exemplar of how state policy can drive systemic change in civics education. The Illinois Civic Mission Coalition, a pan-ideological alliance of educators, policymakers, and civic organizations, has shaped the state's civics education vision. The coalition built a scalable infrastructure of…

Teacher shortages increase yearly while interest in the teaching profession seems to be at an all-time low. Policymakers are again seeing value in high school "grow your own" (GYO) teacher programs as a source of future teacher talent. Against the backdrop of career development models for teaching, we developed an instrument based on…

While more students than ever are completing high school with a diploma, the American education system has a long way to go until each and every student is prepared for what comes after graduation. Unless significant advancements are made in closing existing gaps in educational attainment, America's current employment gaps will worsen as the…

Purpose of this study is to provide an estimate of concurrent enrollment (CE) costs and return on investment (ROI) in Colorado. This report is part of a larger U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences (IES) funded grant to develop a college access and success research partnership (R305H170049). This study is of Colorado…

This playbook provides ways in which Higher Education Agencies (sometimes referred as the State Higher Education Executive Officers) and teams can blur the lines between high school, postsecondary education, and the workforce. Higher Education Agencies (HEAs) play a significant role to Raise the Bar for student success by developing an…

In 2014, Tennessee launched a statewide initiative known as Response to Instruction and Intervention (RTI[superscript 2]) aimed at better supporting students' individual learning needs. RTI[superscript 2] is a framework for teaching and learning that includes regular screenings to identify student areas of need and a tiered model of intervention…

High school feedback reports can allow states, districts and schools to evaluate the transition of students from high school to postsecondary education. These reports or data systems contain a variety of information on a state's high school graduates, including postsecondary enrollment data, developmental education needs and first year…

The State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP), WV GRADUATION 20/20 was implemented during the 2015-2016 academic school year beginning with 69 schools in 36 counties, representing 59% of West Virginia's high schools. During the 2016-2017 academic year the number of high schools grew to 72 and the cohort included 20 middle schools bringing the total…

The Virginia High School League is a private, non-profit organization whose member schools include public high schools and one private school in the Commonwealth of Virginia (Virginia High School League Organization, 2015). This organization manages and supervises athletics and other extracurricular activities such as forensics, debate, drama and…

This report describes the establishment and delivery of Illinois career and technical education (CTE), the existing condition of Illinois CTE based on fiscal year 2021 data, and the future developments and recommendations for CTE in the state as required by Illinois School Code 105 ILCS 435/2e. Illinois CTE focuses on providing equitable…

In an apprenticeship program, individuals complete productive work for an employer, earn a salary, receive training through supervised work-based learning, and take academic instruction related to the apprenticeship occupation. Such programs can improve career prospects and outcomes for teens and young adults. This fact sheet looks at the impacts…

Statewide College Promise programs have the potential to broadly increase affordability, access, and success for students pursuing a postsecondary credential. Statewide College Promise programs also generate controversy because they encompass critical decisions about how a large proportion of state financial aid dollars are spent, and on whom.…

The State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP), WV GRADUATION 20/20, was implemented during the 2015-2016 academic school year beginning with sixty-nine (69) schools in thirty-six (36) counties representing fifty-nine (59) percent of West Virginia's high schools. During the 2016-2017 academic year the number of high schools has grew to seventy-two…

We investigate the effects of a statewide program designed to increase the supply of teachers in designated "hard-to-staff" areas, such as special education, math, and science. Employing a difference-in-difference estimator we find that the loan forgiveness component of the program was effective, reducing mean attrition rates for middle…

Education Commission of the States has researched Advanced Placement (AP) policies in all states to provide this comprehensive, interactive resource. It provides links to the 50-state comparisons showing how all states approach specific AP policies. A specific state's approach can be viewed by going to the individual state profile page. Key…