Access to teachers of color has a significant impact on student outcomes, including increased graduation and college enrollment and lower suspension and expulsion rates. Yet New York schools struggle to recruit and retain a diverse educator workforce. More than one in five New York students--around 10 percent of Black and Latinx students, 20…

The authors completed a national study of K-12 civics and history education in 2021, and after collaborating with over 300 teachers, practitioners, scholars, and students, released "Educating for American Democracy: Excellence in Civics and History for All Learners." The EAD report analyzed the current citizenship education landscape and…

In recent years, North Carolina has engaged in efforts to improve the transition to kindergarten process for children, families, and teachers across the state. These efforts include the launch of North Carolina's Transition to Kindergarten Pilot project in 2018 and activities funded by the state's Preschool Development Grant Birth to Age 5 (NC's…

Background: California is a leader in adopting numerous transgender and nonbinary adolescent (TNBA)-protective education policies. However, the adoption and implementation of these policies remain largely unexamined. This study explored local school adoption and implementation of California state TNBA-protective policies. Methods: Nine Los Angeles…

Each year, millions of students access financial aid to attend postsecondary programs by completing the Free Application for Federal Financial Aid (FAFSA). Completing a FAFSA determines students' eligibility for Pell grants, federal work-study, and federal loans and thus smooths more students' paths to attaining bachelor's and associate degree…

Since 2021, California has invested over $1 billion in recruiting, training, developing, and retaining an ethnoracially diverse educator workforce that reflects its student population. However, recruitment rates have not kept pace with the increasing ethnoracial diversity of the student population, nor have these efforts curbed rising teacher…

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…

Microcredentials (shorter-term credentials) are integrating into traditional degree pathways, and trustees of public colleges and universities should examine the role of these credentials in the baccalaureate programs of their institutions. Shorter-term credentials can provide substantial benefits for public four-year institutions, including…

The new California's Bilingual Teacher Performance Expectations (BTPE), adopted in 2021, are set to be implemented during the 2023-2024 academic year. Since the approval of the Bilingual Education Act in the 1960s, bilingual education in California has navigated its -- sometimes dramatically -- swaying state policies. Being one of the most…

A growing number of states use performance-based funding (PBF) systems to tie appropriations to student outcomes. Yet while many studies have examined the effects of PBF on enrollment and completion outcomes, no research has considered whether PBF affects post-college outcomes. This is of particular importance as more states directly incentivize…

School library media specialists often lead the charge for media and information literacy in schools, and where there is instruction, libraries are the primary hubs for it. As they craft policies and build infrastructure for media literacy instruction, state leaders should leverage librarians' expertise. It should not be solely their…

More states are thinking about their data systems and how to give decision-makers the information they need. As states work to create successful education and career pathways, they need transparent, well-structured and well-governed data systems. To learn more, our team conducted a 50-State Comparison on state longitudinal data systems to collect…

Background: The National Federation of State High School Associations provides recommendations regarding health and safety policies; however, policy development is governed at the state level. Given interstate differences in governance, the primary purpose was to describe processes that State High School Athletic Associations (SHSAAs) utilize to…

The report "State Approaches to Short-Term Postsecondary Credentials: Challenges, Opportunities, and Policy Gaps" explores how state policymakers engage with short-term postsecondary credentials, highlighting key policy levers such as state authorization, consumer protections, financial aid, and quality standards. It examines the…

Autism diagnosis before age three to expedite access to critical services is a public health priority in the United States. Still, the average age of autism diagnosis is 49 months with substantial variability across states. By examining policy--defined as laws, regulations, procedures, administrative actions, incentives, or voluntary practices of…