State policymakers are the constitutional stewards and primary funders of America’s public schools. Through standards, data systems, funding, accountability expectations, and learning supports, as well as many other decisions, state policy significantly shapes and influences whether students have access to the opportunities they need and deserve. Opportunities to learn – Read more
Writing for EdNote, Erin Whinnery recently shared four new education policy tools. Excerpts from the piece appear below: How can education leaders better support students, families and teachers in these unprecedented times? What needs can be met with policy changes? Education Commission of the States supports education leaders with four Read more
Through its Collaborating States Initiative (CSI), CASEL has observed that state policymakers who have created foundational policies to advance social and emotional learning (SEL) often become interested, as a next step, in creating a statewide community of practice (CoP) to engage districts and schools around a shared vision to promote Read more
For any labor market to function properly, clear information is needed to guide decision making; its absence invariably leads to less than optimal decisions and inefficiencies. While the broader labor market is riddled with imperfect information, the teacher labor market is particularly vulnerable—largely for the lack of the most basic Read more
Multitiered systems of support (MTSS), formerly called response to intervention or RTI, recognizes that academic and behavioral functioning are intertwined. MTSS is a systemic approach designed to identify and coordinate evidence-based interventions. MTSS can include positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS). SEL programs and approaches are often seen as an Read more
The Aurora Institute (previously iNACOL) released the updated CompetencyWorks map, a snapshot of K-12 competency education state policy across the United States. Since 2012, iNACOL’s CompetencyWorks initiative has published an annual snapshot map of the United States, categorizing states into levels at which their policy environments and state activities support Read more
If schools want to significantly improve student outcomes, they need to help millions of hardworking teachers continuously improve their instructional practice. Yet in many districts, the professional development fails to produce positive changes in the classroom, despite substantial investments of money and time. To develop their instructional practices, teachers require Read more
New data from the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) reveal that the majority of states (35) do not ask for evidence of prior successful teaching for those teachers coming from out of state who are applying for a teaching license-in spite of imposing many demands covering a host of Read more
A new policy scan from Education Commission of the States reveals the incredible growth of dual enrollment policies across the nation. Because dual enrollment programs offer advanced learning opportunities to high schoolers and can lower the cost of college for students and families, state policymakers have been looking at ways Read more
If state leaders want more student-driven learning in classrooms, creating policies that support teachers is critical. That’s according to a new report from iNACOL, a nonprofit that supports competency-based education. The report outlines five recommendations for state policy leaders on how to help develop teachers so they’re prepared for competency-based Read more
In a new issue brief, iNACOL outlines five key opportunities for state policymakers to transform the teaching profession to enable it to support the shift toward student-centered learning models in K-12 education. Modernizing the Teaching Workforce for Learner-Centered, Competency-Based, Equity-Oriented Education: State Policy Recommendations makes five recommendations to leverage the Read more
Despite the pervasive effect of traumatic experiences on student performance,only 11 states encourage or require school staff training on the effects of trauma. Half of states have policies on suicide prevention. And just one state, Vermont, requires a school nurse to be available daily at every school campus. Those are Read more
Forty-eight states and Washington, DC have committed to measuring and reporting on individual student growth under ESSA. This means everyone in those states – from parents to policymakers – will have more information than before on student performance and school quality. But the questions they’ll be able to answer depend Read more
Analysis from the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) finds tangible evidence that teacher evaluation systems, when implemented well, are coinciding with real and measurable benefits for students and teachers alike. The past decade has been marked by rapid changes in teacher evaluations. While many districts and states announced their Read more
Writing for New America, Melissa Tooley and Taylor White highlight how the policies undergirding most states’ licensure renewal systems not only conflict with what is known about best practices in adult learning, but that “whether a teacher grows considerably while fulfilling her state’s renewal requirements or does not improve at Read more
Eric Hanushek recently wrote an issue brief for AEI detailing the connection between quality education and a state’s economic future. Key points of the brief include the following: A key element of any successful economy, whether a nation or a state, is the quality of its workforce. The economic gains Read more