The unstable funding of higher education exacerbated by current damaging environmental contexts has created a need to rethink current approaches and opportunities regarding the financing of higher education. States and campuses must strategically leverage the current significant federal investments to meet their postsecondary objectives including…

Disasters have severe implications for life and property, often requiring large-scale collective action to facilitate recovery. In the U.S., one key determinant of recovery is access to resources that mitigate damage losses and shorten disaster recovery trajectories. However, communities with the disabled present may be excluded from such services…

This Policy Brief provides a detailed look at 529 education savings plans -- investment accounts with tax advantages -- including a breakdown of maximum annual dollar amounts and state tax deductions allowed, state responses to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, information on legislation in 2018 that changes eligible expenses allowed under 529 plans and…

The coronavirus has profoundly disrupted American public education and substantially harmed the learning trajectories of tens of millions of students. The incoming administration will have its hands full trying to get schools reopened and students back on track. As it does so, it may feel tempted to use this crisis to consolidate federal control…

A classroom examination of the featured historical article announcing North Carolina's ratification of the Constitution can springboard into a lesson on federalism, the Bill of Rights, and the ratification process.

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) reverses a trend toward centralization of education policy and instead provides greater authority to the states. This study explores states' interpretation and early implementation of ESSA's equity-related provisions. Using a qualitative case study approach, we find wide variation in the design and…

State standardized exams help parents, educators, and policymakers understand which students are on track -- and who is falling behind -- so that the adults can intervene to meet the needs of all students. This information is more crucial than ever given that COVID-19 upended traditional schooling. This report's recommendations for federal and…

This hearing of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions examines how three states--Nebraska, South Carolina, and Delaware--are taking advantage of the opportunities within the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Under ESSA, in order to receive over $18 billion in annual Federal funding, states have the opportunity to design their…

Community colleges play a crucial role in American higher education. As affordable alternatives to four-year universities, they offer a vital pathway to a four-year degree, as well as career and vocational training. Because these colleges also disproportionately serve low-income students and students of color, they are engines of opportunity…

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) requires each State to establish a methodology for identifying schools for support and improvement, based on data from the statewide system of annual meaningful differentiation. This guidance is designed to support State educational agencies (SEAs), local educational agencies (LEAs), and…

Drawing boundaries in federal systems is often a practical and constitutional challenge for public finance and the delivery of higher education. This paper studies arrangements between national and provincial governments as they affect post-secondary performance in Canada. The study investigates several categories of interaction between levels of…

The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education convened the Integrated Education and Training (IET) Symposium on January 15, 2020, to obtain information about the progress with and challenges in implementing IET models in adult education programs. Forty-five representatives from adult education state offices,…

Summative assessments measure students' mastery of grade-level academic standards and skills in specific content areas after learning. State summative assessment systems provide students and families, school and district leaders, and state policymakers with valuable data to help understand student progress and school quality. This Policy Guide…

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), contains a requirement for a 1% cap on the participation of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities in the state alternate assessment, based on alternate academic achievement standards. The 1% cap is designed to limit the number of…

During the past 15 years, immigration enforcement increased dramatically in the U.S. interior. There is a growing recognition that immigration enforcement in the U.S. interior has spillover effects onto partnership between Immigration and Customs Enforcement and local law enforcement, 287(g) programs, on within North Carolina. In North Carolina,…