Over the past decade, many states have embraced the "science of reading," an interdisciplinary body of research about what works and matters most in teaching students to read. In 2021, North Carolina passed the Excellent Public Schools Act to advance teachers' understanding and use of science of reading practices, and the state's…

Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) offer parents a publicly funded, government-authorized savings account they can draw on for certain K-12 educational expenses. As these programs have expanded in recent years, they have become a flashpoint in education policy debates. For some, ESAs are an extension of existing private school choice programs'…

Iowa's Senate File 496 requires parent permission to formally survey students about their mental health, bans the discussion of gender identity and sexual orientation in schools before seventh grade, mandates schools obtain parental permission to use a nickname, and bans any books that depict or describe sex acts in schools. This instrumental case…

When it comes to creationism, it might seem as if the United States is trapped in a century-long culture-war rut. In a sense, the Scopes Trial of 1925 put science itself on trial, and it can seem as if every new dispute over teaching evolution is only a repetition of that famous trial. In truth, however, the power of creationism has ebbed…

All 50 US states have enacted mandates requiring insurers to cover autism-related services. We assessed whether and to what extent variation in generosity of state insurance mandates has been associated with rate of growth in the health workforce for children with autism spectrum disorder: including board-certified behavioral analysts, child…

In political science and academia more broadly, it is well understood that widespread civic engagement is a bedrock for a robust democracy. This premise drives disciplinary and institutional efforts to foster experiential learning settings that empower students to take up the responsibilities of active citizenship and the cultivation of student…

Background/Context: This article draws from a larger study focused on how recent immigration policies have influenced school districts across the United States and how educators have responded to support their immigrant-origin students. Scholars have found that immigration policy powerfully shapes the lives of many immigrant youth in multiple…

Across all 50 states, there are different ways in which states allocate K-12 and special education funding to districts. Education Commission of the States has collected information on states' primary funding models, base per-student funding amounts, student attendance count methods, and funding for special education, English language learners,…

2021 was a great year for charter school students and families across the country. Several states passed legislation to allow more schools to open and promote fiscal equity. In other states, charter school advocates were able to defeat a number of bills that would have imposed significant and unnecessary burdens on charter schools. In our 2021…

Although private school choice has historically been a Republican priority, education reform organizations often use strategies intended to appeal to Democratic lawmakers and interest groups. Among 70 votes held on final passage for private school choice legislation, Democrats provided only 381 "yes" votes compared to 2,844 Republican…

Restraint and seclusion (R/S) negatively affect students; for example, numerous investigations have demonstrated that serious injuries result from R/S (e.g., Chan et al., 2012; Mohr et al., 2003; Nunno et al., 2006). Changing policy and practice to reduce R/S is critical to promote safety and improve the educational experience and benefit for…

How do literacy coaches function as policy actors? Using a case study of literacy coaches in a small, rural South Carolina school district, this dissertation explored the ways coaches act as policy actors, the policies coaches create, and how they institutionalize policy. This study focused on literacy coaches as policy actors. The South Carolina…

Over the last several decades, mathematics remediation has been studied with a focus on the impact it has had on other factors such as graduation rates, student academic growth, the potential income of students, students' self-perspective, placement tests and scores, effects on minority populations, and best practices (Bahr, 2007, 2013; Boylan,…

The Innovation Schools Act of 2008, § 22-32.5-102, et seq. C.R.S., was designed to provide a pathway for schools and districts to develop and implement innovative practices in a wide variety of areas and contexts to improve student outcomes. The Act provides a formal process that allows schools or groups of schools to make requests to their local…

Maine's public universities and community colleges have a long tradition of working together. They are doing so now more closely than ever before given the needs of Maine students and employers and the institutions' imperative to achieve efficiencies and savings through partnership. As required by Public Law 2015, Chapter 261, the leaders of both…