Every two years, Education Commission of the States welcomes a new governor to provide leadership and direction for the organization, which includes an initiative to advance education policymaking. Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon’s 2025-27 Chair’s Initiative is a community-driven education initiative aimed at driving locally owned change across states.
Building off lessons learned from Wyoming’s Reimaging and Innovating the Delivery of Education Initiative (RIDE), Gov. Gordon’s CHANGE Initiative is:
The Initiative will guide collaboration through fundamental approaches to policy creation and community engagement, including:
Gov. Gordon said, “I stepped [into this role] because I believe this is our moment to rebuild trust, reinvest in community wisdom, and reignite what’s possible for our schools.”
Community purpose and north stars for all partners.
A shared mission or vision can help align roles, responsibilities, and processes with state and partner priorities. State strategic plans can help guide policy work, and those with an annual review help ensure flexibility.
Co-design with communities, families and tribal partners.
Authentic engagement ensures that policies are designed by and for the communities they aim to serve. States and partners can engage a wide variety of role groups and voices in policy design to ensure support for various student populations.
Flexible design responsive to local context.
Community schools and place-based leaders can ensure that policy efforts meet both state and local needs. Adaptive structures — including competency-based learning, pilot opportunities and local innovation zones — can introduce flexibility to meet local needs.
Partnership across public, private and civic sectors.
Collaboration between a wide array of partners — including state policymakers, community organizations, business and workforce — is imperative for successful place-based policies.
Cradle-to-career focus on wellbeing and opportunity.
State policymakers have demonstrated an increasing focus on supporting the whole learner through policy. Policies that integrate early childhood and workforce opportunities, as well as whole-student supports, can ensure long-term success and wellbeing.
Shared measures and public data to sustain trust.
States and systems can use data systems to ensure transparent and measured growth in any policy area. With a clear vision describing not only which data are collected, but how those data may be used to further goals tied to a shared vision, state leaders and partners can build buy-in and ensure progress.
Through CHANGE, Gov. Gordon and Education Commission of the States aim to elevate community voice, support effective state leadership and help education systems become more aligned with local needs, better coordinated across sectors and equipped to serve learners now and in the future.
Learn about our 2023-25 Chair's Initiative from Governor Laura Kelly: Education Access for Justice-Impacted Individuals.
A community hub is a locally rooted, collaborative structure that brings together school districts, local governments, businesses, and civic leaders to help children and families thrive by aligning local assets that drive education and economic mobility.
Gov. Gordon and Education Commission of the States are excited to launch a suite of practical resources and events to support states in engaging community members and implementing impactful local education solutions.
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