The California State Teachers' Retirement System (CalSTRS) is in the midst of phasing in substantial increases in the contributions made by teachers, school districts, and the state of California. The phase-in period began in 2014-15. In the year prior, 2013-14, the total statutory contribution rate to CalSTRS from all parties was 18.3 percent of…

Federally mandated standardized testing (i.e., in core subject areas and certain grade levels), as an element of educational accountability, began in 2002 with the No Child Left Behind Act. With that step, large-scale assessments came to serve as one of the foundations of accountability-based systems and policies not only for districts, schools…

California has long been a global leader in higher education, innovation, and workforce development. The economy is the fifth-largest in the world. But, without a more educated workforce, its global economic standing will decline. As California's economy becomes both increasingly reliant on a better educated workforce and further connected to a…

Education policy has increasingly utilized collaboration as a critical mechanism for improving educational outcomes by encouraging alignment along the K-16 pipeline, making transfer processes more efficient and cost-effective, and striving to align education credentials with workforce demands. However, there is extensive variation in the degree to…

Research increasingly highlights the significant benefits of multilingual instructional programs for English Learners. Yet, these programs remain relatively rare across California. Regional and local practitioners play an essential role in driving meaningful change by implementing strategies that enhance these programs--ultimately improving the…

This article explores the associations between student performance and the presence of state policies that include student achievement in teacher evaluations. We examined performance among states from 2007 through 2013. Including student performance in state teacher evaluation policies is modestly associated with higher reading achievement but had…

This article describes a document analysis of policy and resource documents pertaining to inclusion of students with special education needs (SSEN) in Canadian French as a Second Language (FSL) programs. By recognizing gaps and acknowledging advancements, we aim to inform current implementation and future development of inclusive policy. Document…

In this article, we examine policies related to in-state resident tuition and state financial aid policies aimed at undocumented students. To help frame the discussion and spark further debate and research in this area the article seeks to do three things. First, it provides a comprehensive review of state and institutional in-state tuition…

Faced with many applicants with very low math skills, community colleges are responding with a variety of reforms, including restricting developmental courses to students with high-school-level skills. This brief provides context for the policy changes and describes the alternatives two colleges offer to those who don't make the cut. [This brief…

This Policy Snapshot provides summary information for 2017 legislation related to attainment goals and plans, as well as policy actions from previous years.

The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) has produced periodic reports on state tuition and fee policies since 1979. In fall 2016, SHEEO administered a survey to its membership for an update to this study. In this eighth iteration of the project, the survey was revised significantly to allow for more qualitative analysis…

This report presents school leadership development policies and practices across all 50 states and select U.S. territories. Researchers Bobbi Newman, Jonathan Supovitz, and Greg Collins from the Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE), in collaboration with National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) staff, interviewed…

On January 14, 2019, Mike DeWine was sworn in as Ohio's 70th governor. Jon Husted joined Governor DeWine and received the oath of office as Ohio's Lieutenant Governor. From the very beginning, Governor DeWine requested that his Cabinet listen carefully to the people of the state and then proceed to act with a sense of urgency to change Ohio.…

Highly effective teachers and school leaders are of utmost importance to improve student achievement and ensure the success of the education system. Unfortunately, students in underserved schools are not provided equitable access to effective teachers and leaders. For this reason, many states and districts have implemented evidence-based talent…

As part of our research on the community college baccalaureate (CCB), we studied the prospects of adopting and scaling CCB degrees in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Higher education leaders in these six Great Lakes states recognized the potential for CCB degrees to increase academic, geographic and financial access to…