By 2030, most jobs will require some training beyond high school (a four-year degree, a two-year associate degree, or some type of industry credential). Too few Texas students are currently obtaining the necessary postsecondary credentials. In response to this challenge, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board established the 60x30TX Plan in…

Since the fall of 2012, Illinois principal preparation programs have been operating under new state requirements intended to produce highly qualified and effective school principals capable of leading Illinois schools to higher levels of student academic performance. The rules guiding new program development are applied with a broad stroke,…

The media in general and newspapers in particular have a powerful influence on the formation of public attitudes in society. This study aimed at identifying and analyzing the ideologies of two newspapers in Arizona in regard to English language learners. Using discourse analysis, 90 texts published by "The Arizona Republic" and the…

California's Proposition 227, or the Unz Initiative, had as its main focus the requirement that English learners be taught only in English, based on the belief that these children could learn English in one year. This led to the dismantling of many bilingual programs in K-12 schools across California. A team of faculty from California State…

States serve a special role in the nation's public education system. Through elected legislatures, states have endowed their various state departments of education with powers over public education, which include granting authority to local entities--typically school districts--to run schools. In their oversight capacity, states--traditionally…

School safety policies are constantly evolving, often in response to fatal events. After several high-profile and tragic shootings over the past 15 years, school safety has become a major focus for parents, school officials, policymakers and the public nationwide. ECS [Education Commission of the States] conducted a scan of school safety-related…

A state department of education (SDE) served by the Southeast Comprehensive Center (SECC) at SEDL requested information regarding state use of schoolwide, large-scale professional learning communities (PLCs). Specifically, the SDE staff wanted to know the following with respect to PLC work in other states: (1) Are PLCs state-mandated through…

This annual report provides details on how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the New Mexico Higher Education Department's (NMHED) operations and the impact on New Mexico's students, faculty, and staff. All colleges and universities prepared and followed detailed plans on how they would operate to continue to deliver quality education while keeping…

High school students who complete technical coursework in a given field should be able to demonstrate their skill mastery by passing a technical skill assessment that is recognized in that field. States are using a variety of approaches to assess students' skill attainment, with some adopting industry-recognized assessments linked to national…

This report highlights the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's 2015-2016 achievements and continuing efforts made toward maintaining a record of meeting requirements under Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), reorganizing their system of student and family supports, and improving outcomes for students…

As the 2012 presidential election approaches, controversy grows over recent statewide legislative initiatives that impose stricter identification requirements on voters. These new voter identification laws--especially those that require voters to produce a government-issued photo ID--are the subject of intense debates. During 2011, seven states…

"Persistence, Partnership and Public Will" explores the sustained role the Annie E. Casey Foundation played in Kentucky for more than a decade to help create an environment in which the state's ambitious and comprehensive effort to improve education for all of its students would have the time, resources and attention needed to prove its…

This Education Policy Brief provides an overview of the student count mechanisms that are currently employed by states. It then reviews Indiana's outgoing count mechanism, the Single Count Date, and compares it with the newly enacted Multiple Count Dates mechanism. To conclude the discussion, the brief examines how other states use the Multiple…

The purpose of this study was to (a) determine the frequency of prior dismissal or reassignment as site administrators as experienced by sitting California school district superintendents, (b) determine the opinions of California district superintendents about the lack of due process rights of school site administrators about support systems and…

This brief describes a new wave of state legislation, which emphasizes individual principal accountability as part of a broader educator talent-management strategy. The brief provides a snapshot of new state-level policy on principal evaluation and describes reasons for policy change as represented in state policy language and trends in policy…