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

April 1, 2025

Implementing Mental Health Education in States

Schools can be ideal settings to address youth mental health needs, yet they struggle to provide effective services. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 96% of public schools […]

Postsecondary Workforce

March 26, 2025

Data Drives Effective Use of Nondegree Credentials

As the education and workforce landscapes change, the need for postsecondary education has increased for students. Estimates show that 72% of jobs will require postsecondary education or training by 2031. […]

Postsecondary

March 20, 2025

New Hampshire Takes Groundbreaking Steps to Expand Higher Education in Prison

After a bipartisan act of Congress reinstated Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated learners as of July 2023, the focus in carceral education circles turned to how states could prepare to […]

Postsecondary

March 11, 2025

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 […]

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 […]