This brief describes the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA) and Chapin Hall's partnership to build momentum and consensus for child welfare system transformation by bringing together human services agency leadership, experts with lived experience, and national partner organizations to advance cross-sector recommendations for shared…

Across many states, workforce and economic development policies are typically managed by different agencies, funded through different laws and programs, and driven by different priorities and eligibility rules. This arrangement can result in a fragmented workforce and economic development ecosystem that may have negative impacts for workers and…

Little research has examined how K-12 fiscal accountability policies and practices intersect with district finances and student outcomes during periods of economic crises. Employing a critical policy analysis perspective that distinguishes between the concepts of fiscal accountability and fiscal austerity and differences-in-differences and event…

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered an unprecedented disruption to global education systems, with over 50 million K-12 students in the United States affected by prolonged school closures. This disruption amplified longstanding inequities for low-income students, students of color, and multilingual learners. This "Teachers College Record"…

Immigrants and their children are a vital part of Connecticut's present and its future. Comprising 15 percent of the state's residents, immigrants have driven all population and workforce growth over the last decade and a half. In addition, about 30 percent of Connecticut children are part of immigrant families. Most immigrants in the state, as in…

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) amended policy Part 100.2(j) (July 2017) which impacted school counselor practice, preparation, and credentialing for the first time since 1978. With implementation scheduled to begin in 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic derailed the process just as it was getting underway. New York City Public Schools…

Preparing students for science, technology, and engineering careers is an urgent state policy challenge. We examined the design and roll-out of a science testing requirement for high school graduation in Massachusetts. While science test performance improved over time for all demographic subgroups, we observed rising inequality in failure rates…

Instructional materials, such as printed textbooks and digital resources, are a cornerstone of education in kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12) education and represent a powerful lever for improving classroom instruction. Historically, the selection of instructional materials in the United States has been predominantly led by local school…

The specific needs of rural schools and communities have received limited attention from state policy makers, and many state programs have only added to the challenges that school districts in rural areas face. Michigan State University researchers surveyed and interviewed rural superintendents in Michigan to learn more about their situations.…

In-service K-12 teachers require preparation and support to conceptualize and incorporate global competence into their classroom teaching practices. The state of North Carolina created a state-wide framework for such professional development: the Global Educator Digital Badge (GEDB). The GEDB focuses on developing knowledge and practices of…

This resource describes whether and how states and the District of Columbia have used statute and/or regulations to allow institutions or systems of higher education to create their own campus police forces. As presented, at least 35 states and the District of Columbia address the creation of police forces and/or employment of police officers in…

Open enrollment is an integral part of state public school choice policies. This datapoint captures enrollment provisions that apply specifically to students in foster care, including enrollment priority and educational continuity. [View the full "50-State Comparison: Open Enrollment Policies 2022" here:…

Reverse transfer has been part of the United States post-secondary landscape for more than a decade, in the form of statewide, system-wide, regional, and institutional transfer agreements. Reverse transfer agreements, as structured in the US, allow a college student in an associate degree program who transfers to a university before completing the…

This document is designed to help guide the process of developing, implementing, and sustaining social and emotional learning (SEL) policies and practices by state education agencies (SEAs) and local education agencies (LEAs) that want to implement SEL policies and guidelines. Based on their extensive experience supporting state and district…

Purpose: We examine policy influencers' perceptions of the targets of school-choice policy across five states, exploring how constructions varied for White and racially minoritized families, whether policy actors conceived of the "target" of policy as the child or the parent, and how these racialized constructions varied across different…