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Ed Note

Our blog features education research and policy trends, promising practices from states and partners, and anecdotes from our work with state leaders across the country.

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Postsecondary Workforce

July 21, 2026

Implementing Workforce Pell: Early Lessons From Tennessee

Workforce Pell has the potential to open new doors for learners seeking high-quality, career-focused education. Institutions whose programs already align with the eligibility requirements may move quickly, but the pace and consistency […]

K-12

July 7, 2026

How the Florida AI Task Force Supports Educators and Students

State leaders are actively considering the guidance, regulations and support schools and districts need to respond to the growing presence of artificial intelligence tools. In this post, we will hear from leaders of the Florida AI K-12 Task Force […]

K-12

July 6, 2026

How States are Evolving Cell Phone Policies in Schools

Concerns about the impact of cell phones on student learning, mental health and classroom focus have sparked state action in recent years. According to a 2025 Pew Research Center survey, nearly all U.S. teens (96%) say they use the internet every […]

K-12

July 1, 2026

What a Year of Generative AI in Real Classrooms Is Teaching Us About Implementation

As of March 2026, more than 130 AI-in-education bills are under consideration across 31 states, and at least 28 states have published official AI guidance for schools. This is […]

Workforce

June 30, 2026

Why States Need Better Local Labor Market Information for an AI Economy

The precursor to this post described a bridge to nowhere — a Los Angeles area structure left stranded when the roads connecting it washed away. It's a useful metaphor for the challenge facing state and local educators today: the educational roads […]

Workforce

June 24, 2026

Building Future-Proof Workforce Pathways Through Responsive Data Systems

In 1936, Los Angeles County built a bridge across the San Gabriel River to link the San Gabriel Valley with Wrightwood, a popular camping spot. In 1938, a hurricane washed out the unfinished roads on both sides of the bridge. […]

Early Education (P-3)High School K-12

June 16, 2026

Stabilizing Education Opportunity for Students in Foster Care

Maintaining stability is key to improving student access to quality educational opportunities, especially for students farthest from opportunity. But for the 300,000 children and youth in foster care in the United States each year, stability can be hard to […]

K-12

June 11, 2026

How Alaska Brings Indigenous Culture and Community in the Classroom

To launch our inaugural “ECS on the Move” series, we traveled to Alaska, “The Last Frontier,” to learn from communities leading the way in culturally grounded education and student belonging. […]

Early Education (P-3)

June 11, 2026

Keeping Momentum for the Science of Reading in Alaska

In recent years, many states have implemented policies related to the Science of Reading in hopes of boosting student achievement. But how do you keep the momentum going after your state passes comprehensive early literacy legislation? […]

K-12

June 2, 2026

Teacher Collaboration and Student Outcomes in Texas

States are under pressure to strengthen literacy and numeracy and close persistent opportunity gaps during ongoing educator workforce instability. Recent evidence from Texas’ Model Professional Learning Community (PLC) at Work® […]

Early Education (P-3)K-12

May 28, 2026

How Maine Is Building a Coherent Statewide Approach to Literacy and Numeracy

Many statewide education initiatives stop at vision documents. Recently, the State of Maine set out to go further. A team at the Maine Department of Education, “What would it look like […]

K-12

May 20, 2026

How the Federal Tax Credit Scholarship Program May Affect States

The passage of the H.R. 1, called One Big Beautiful Bill Act, by Congress in July 2025 included the first federal school choice program known as the Federal Tax Credit Scholarship Program. This legislation allows governors or a designated state official to opt in to a federally […]