Student Learning

Students across the country have opportunities to learn through different modalities. States look to provide innovative options for varying student needs, including competency-based education, remote learning and services to alleviate interrupted instruction. With multiple learning modalities and possibilities of long-term school closures, states also look to flexible assessment and accountability systems.

This page catalogues policies affecting learning, assessment and interruptions to student learning.

Recently Published Resources

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Featured

Topic

Policy Levers to Advance Credential Transparency

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Policy Brief

Six Policy Priority Areas Prepare State Leaders for Impact

As state education leaders face changing contexts, Education Commission of the States developed six policy priority areas to serve state policymakers' most critical needs. These policy priority areas will inform our organization’s work over the next two years.

State Information Request: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Guidelines

Our staff was asked about state artificial intelligence guidelines. Our response includes examples of how states may be developing AI curriculum or folding AI curriculum into existing computer science standards […]

Governors’ Top Education Priorities in 2025 State of the State Addresses

In a critical year for state education policy, State of the State addresses offer time for new and incumbent governors to outline policy priorities and elevate successes. For the past […]

Ed Note Blog Posts

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Postsecondary

A Conversation With Victoria Ballerini, the New Director of Strong Start to Finish

In January, Victoria Ballerini joined Strong Start to Finish, an Education Commission of the States initiative, as its permanent director after serving on an interim basis. Strong Start to Finish […]

High School Postsecondary Workforce

3 Ways States Expanded Prison Education Opportunities in 2024

At least 95% of people who are incarcerated will eventually be released. Many will leave custody without access to postsecondary education and training that could help them successfully transition back […]

High School K-12

How Are States Approaching Cell Phone Use in Schools?

Over the past few years, school and state leaders have acted on concerns about how cell phone use is impacting students and teachers. Concerns like student data privacy, social media […]

High School K-12

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Civics Education Carved in New Hampshire Granite

In recent years, New Hampshire has reimagined its policy commitments to K-12 civics education. Last spring, the New Hampshire Civic Learning Coalition, convened by NH Civics, championed S.B. 216 — […]

K-12

An elementary school teacher sits atop a table speaking to a small group of five students in a classroom during the daytime. Each of the five children are looking up at their teacher.

Turning Back the Tide: The Critical Role of States In Reducing Chronic Absenteeism

Chronic absenteeism has risen drastically in our country — increasing from 16% of students before the COVID-19 pandemic to nearly 30% by the 2021-22 school year. During the 2021-22 school […]

Postsecondary

A stack of books, a gavel and a graduation cap sit on a table inside a library to represent expanding education access and graduation opportunities for people impacted by the justice system.

Expanding Education Access for Justice-Impacted Students

Nearly two million people are incarcerated across federal, state, local and tribal systems in the United States. Among those, 95% of people will be released to rejoin their communities, but […]

Early Education (P-3)K-12

Early Grade Literacy: Is Third Grade Retention Effective?

In 2023, 14 governors noted the importance of literacy in their State of the State addresses. Ten governors specifically highlighted efforts to improve early grade literacy for kindergarten through third […]

K-12

How Can States Support Immigrant Students’ Education?

Conversations about immigrant and refugee students often obscure the fact that federal laws — bolstered by court decisions throughout the past few decades — provide newcomer students with the right […]

K-12

North Carolina's Promising Approach to Learning Recovery

As the education landscape continues to be impacted by school closures, quarantines and staffing uncertainties resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, states have been working hard to reduce the long-term effects […]

K-12

How Illinois Supports School Districts in Closing Equity Gaps

The recent release of National Assessment of Educational Progress data highlights the scale of interrupted learning caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and points to the exacerbation of existing inequities in […]

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