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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K-12

Jan. 22, 2025

Making Statewide Accountability Systems Stronger and More Equitable

As the country approaches the 10-year mark since the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), it's clear that K-12 education is at a crucial juncture. Despite recent progress, […]

High School Postsecondary Workforce

Jan. 8, 2025

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 […]

Postsecondary Workforce

Nov. 22, 2024

Aligning Initiatives for Collaborative Education and Reentry Efforts in North Carolina

In January 2024, North Carolina signed onto the Council of State Government’s national Reentry 2030 initiative, which aims to drastically improve reentry success for people exiting prison and those under […]

K-12

Nov. 20, 2024

Colorado and Mississippi Make Big Moves in K-12 Finance Reform

States frequently make changes to their K-12 funding formulas. We have identified 39 enacted bills in 2023 and 22 so far in 2024 that alter K-12 funding formulas in our […]

K-12

Nov. 14, 2024

Indigenous Students Count: Challenges and Promising Practices

A recent report from the Indigenous Student Identification Project (ISI) found that K-12 Indigenous students may be undercounted by as much as 70% across the United States. This has […]

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

Nov. 12, 2024

2024 Election Results: An Overview of State Legislatures and Ballot Measures

We track state-level elections each cycle to monitor new leadership and its potential impact on education policy. With new governors, state legislators and education leaders across the country, we can […]

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

Nov. 8, 2024

2024 Election Results: Getting to Know Your Governors

This year, voters in eleven states took to the ballot box to elect their governors. Three incumbents — Govs. Greg Gianforte in Montana, Spencer Cox in Utah and Phil Scott […]

High School K-12

Oct. 28, 2024

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 […]

Early Education (P-3)K-12 Postsecondary

Oct. 22, 2024

2024 Elections and the Future of State-Level Education

As we get closer to the 2024 elections outcomes, we’re tracking the races and initiatives that will impact the future of American education policy. We’ll deliver you the results on […]

Early Education (P-3)

Oct. 15, 2024

What’s New in the Early Care and Education Governance Landscape?

The years before formal schooling are vital for children’s physical, cognitive and social development. Providing high-quality preschool environments is a pivotal opportunity to prevent developmental disparities that are often already […]

Postsecondary

Sept. 26, 2024

7 Financial Aid Questions for State Leaders to Consider

Although post-high school education is projected to become even more critical in the years ahead, rising costs puts higher education out of reach for many students. While federal financial aid […]

High School K-12

Students sit at their desks taking a test in a middle school classroom. Their teacher is in the background offering support to a student.

Aug. 14, 2024

Holistic Approaches for Determining K-12 Education Funding Adequacy

Although the District of Columbia (comprising D.C. Public Schools and 69 charter local education agencies) continues to make progress on performance benchmarks, many students still don’t have what they […]