Using state-representative surveys, we investigated how familiar Texas, Ohio, Kentucky, and Massachusetts principals are with their state's K-12 standards, as well as the strength of their policy environments, using a policy attribute theory. We found relatively high levels of buy-in toward the idea of standards but only a general familiarity with…

On behalf of the National Governors Association (NGA), and with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), the State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC) has developed this resource, which highlights states that have released data thresholds, sometimes referred to as gating criteria or benchmarks, to guide schools, school…

State boards of education can advocate to include current teachers as members. Whether it is through a voting member, nonvoting member, or teacher advisory committee, direct educator voice is critical in state board decision making. Most state boards do have former teachers as voting members, and they add a wealth of classroom knowledge to their…

Following a high-quality early care and pre-K experience, the kindergarten-through-third-grade years set the foundation upon which future learning builds; and strengthening this continuum creates opportunities for later success. Key components of a quality experience in K-3 include school readiness and transitions, kindergarten requirements,…

Following a high-quality early care and pre-K experience, the kindergarten-through-third-grade years set the foundation upon which future learning builds; and strengthening this continuum creates opportunities for later success. Key components of a quality experience in K-3 include school readiness and transitions, kindergarten requirements,…

High-quality early childhood education makes a difference: It increases academic attainment and pro-social behavior, positively affects health, and allows more parents to reap the benefits of work. Conservatives care about early education, but liberals have made headway with universal public pre-kindergarten (pre-K), an expensive proposition that…

What do state policies say about how to fund postsecondary education? This 50-State Comparison answers this question by searching state statutes, state rules and regulations, enacted state budget bills, and state postsecondary education agency policies that address postsecondary education budgeting and funding. According to the content of the…

The 50-State Comparison on teacher employment contract policies provides a national comparison of teacher employment contract policies in all states. All of the information was gathered from and focused on state statutes and regulations. State case law was also utilized for metrics related to collective bargaining. Data collection focused…

States often turn to a data masking procedure called microsuppression in order to reduce the risk of disclosing student records when sharing data with external researchers. This process removes records deemed to have high risk for disclosure should data be released. However, this process can induce differences between the original data and the…

States often turn to a data masking procedure called microsuppression in order to reduce the risk of disclosing student records when sharing data with external researchers. This process removes records deemed to have high risk for disclosure should data be released. However, this process can induce differences between the original data and the…

Many are concerned about the large decline in K-12 student achievement since 2019. And rightly so, given what it signals about student learning and later life outcomes. Less noted is the pre-pandemic sustained decline in student achievement growth that followed 30 years of increases. We examine the nature of achievement decline as measured by…

Early intervention services are an important federally funded program for families with children under three years of age who may be diagnosed with or are at risk of developmental delay or disability. The program's impacts can be profound: Early intervention helps strengthen cognitive, motor, and language skills; reduces the likelihood of…

Over the past three decades, while most community college students aspired to a four-year degree, only about 30% successfully transferred. Despite thousands of transfer agreements, understanding which institutions, programs, disciplines, and states engage in these partnerships remains limited. Analyzing 16,452 active agreements among community…

Over the past three decades, while most community college students aspired to a four-year degree, only about 30% successfully transferred. Despite thousands of transfer agreements, understanding which institutions, programs, disciplines, and states engage in these partnerships remains limited. Analyzing 16,452 active agreements among community…

Strong laws enable strong authorizing which, in turn, improves public education opportunities and outcomes for students, families, and communities. These regularly updated state policy recommendations reflect today's challenges and opportunities in charter school oversight. The NACSA's State Policy Recommendations for Charter Authorizing include…