Given math's importance, states are adopting a range of K12 policies to improve math outcomes. As these and other policies unfold, policymakers need to monitor intended outcomes and ultimately gauge impact. They need answers to basic questions: Are more students taking and passing algebra and advanced math? Are performance gaps changing between…

Built on a trusting relationship between a family and a provider, child care is deeply personal. Perhaps the most intimate form of early care and education (ECE) is with a family member, friend, neighbor, or nanny, who offers a level of closeness and trust that may not be feasible in the larger groups of licensed settings. Family, friend, neighbor…

Purpose: Over the past decade, increasing attention to the negative impacts of exclusionary discipline and disparities therein has led many state educational leaders to enact school discipline reforms. This study examined the response by school district leadership to a state's revision of guidelines for student codes of conduct. Data: This study…

As interest in reducing the nation's incarceration rates grows, a shift in policy in favor of education for incarcerated individuals is occurring. This article focuses on the expansive role that community colleges have in offering educational opportunities to individuals in both jails and prisons around the country. This article provides an…

Since 2015, several high-profile surveys have painted a grim portrait of teacher stress and job satisfaction. Although some educators have attributed those trends to educational accountability and reform, little evidence exists connecting education policies to teacher working conditions or -- more distally -- to the mental and physical health of…

We examined whether the "friendliness" of college counseling center websites to students with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer, plus other identities (LGBTQ+) varied by state-level structural policies on hate crime, employment nondiscrimination, and religious exemption. Results from our analyses of variance showed that…

California policymakers passed the Student Equity Policy, requiring all community colleges to develop a "student equity plan" that identified outcome disparities for select student groups, including racial/ethnic students. Through an instrumental case study, I examined Huerta College because their equity plan stood out for its focus on…

In June 2019, Minnesota State set a critical goal: By 2030, eliminate the educational equity gaps at each of the 30 colleges and 7 universities that comprise the system. To achieve the goal of Equity 2030, and empower actors at every level of Minnesota State, system and campus leaders need to fully embrace data democratization. Without access to…

Given the evidence of positive effects on students of having at least one teacher who shares their race or ethnicity, state boards of education, other state policymakers, and school leaders need to recognize teachers' race and ethnicity as markers of teacher quality. Whether purposefully or not, education systems have long defined teacher quality…

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,…

The following is a report on state policies regarding personalized learning innovations at public high schools in the United States. The goal of personalized learning practices is to create more personalized and individualized educational environments, focused on relevant experiences and skill development. Successfully implementing these practices…

The following is a report on state policies regarding personalized learning innovations at public high schools in the United States. The goal of personalized learning practices is to create more personalized and individualized educational environments, focused on relevant experiences and skill development. Successfully implementing these practices…

Context: From 2009 through 2017, the vast majority of states implemented major reforms to their teacher evaluation systems (Bleiberg & Harbatkin, 2016). State adoption occurred in part due to Race to the Top (Howell & Magazinnik, 2017), which rewarded states for implementing teacher evaluation systems under the theory that generating…

Social emotional learning (SEL) is a term that encompasses a set of essential life skills including self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making (Collaborative for Academic Social and Emotional Learning [CASEL], 2024, para. 1). Despite growing interest, many school districts struggle with…

Universal Free Application for Financial Student Aid (FAFSA) policies are being implemented in states as a way to eliminate financial barriers to college enrollment and completion for underrepresented student groups. High school counselors play a critical role in helping students complete this graduation requirement. Texas adopted a universal…