Open Educational Resources (OER) have continued to gain traction in higher education, assisting with ever-rising costs of publisher textbooks and supporting pedagogical innovation. Starting in 2017, NY state legislature has allocated funds annually to be split between its two public university systems to support and incentivize the adoption of…

High-quality afterschool and summer learning programs are effective ways to support children and teens and accelerate their academic growth. In fact, the American Rescue Plan prioritized a significant amount of funding for out-of-school time programs because of the evidence of their effectiveness. Over the past few years, state educational…

In spring 2024, the Multicounty Multitype Library Systems, supported by State Library Services, conducted a census of K-12 public and charter schools in Minnesota to learn about the status of school libraries. A total of 1,528 out of 1,777 eligible schools completed the census. The findings can help legislators, school staff, librarians, and…

In 2022, the Center for the Study of Social Policy and Project SPARC conducted research to better understand the barriers experienced by parenting students participating in CalWORKs, California's cash assistance program for families with children. This brief highlights findings from the research on who parenting students are and their experiences…

School finance equity is an essential component of educational equity. In an equitable system, public schools receive funds to provide a high-quality education for all based on the needs of students, not on the property wealth of communities. Funding inequity also disproportionately affects students of color. Districts serving the largest…

Nearly three in five undergraduate students on U.S. campuses experience basic needs insecurity, which means they lack access to stable sources of food, housing, or other living or educational essentials, like affordable childcare or technology. Basic needs insecurity unequivocally jeopardizes student success, increasing the likelihood of leaving…

State financial aid is a critical piece of college affordability for students from low-income backgrounds. Nearly three quarters of all students attend college in their home state - which is typically a requirement for state-based financial aid - and first-generation and students from low-income backgrounds are even more likely than their peers to…

Intentionally designed afterschool and summer programs can benefit students' social-emotional skills, accelerate their learning, and even increase their school attendance during the school year. This infographic touches on the value of these programs, possible barriers that might limit access to students, and states with innovative models.

This report provides an update on the California Classified School Employee Teacher Credentialing Program and presents the 2022 Annual Report to the Legislature on the California Classified School Employee Teacher Credentialing Program (Classified Program) as required by statute (Education Code §44393(f)). This is the final report for the…

In the United States, students are assigned to public schools based on where they live. School districts have set boundaries and students living in the neighborhoods within those boundaries attend the district's schools. The district's boundaries are further delineated into attendance zones, in which particular homes and neighborhoods are assigned…

The California Career Pathways Trust (CCPT), established in July 2014 by Assembly Bill 86 and administered by the California Department of Education (CDE), funded new regional consortia to establish career pathways that would lead high school students to a postsecondary credential or certification aligned with regional workforce needs. The…

The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) has a codified responsibility to develop the Commonwealth's state-level strategic plan for higher education and to review The Plan every six years to ensure its relevance in addressing critical issues. In 2019, to fulfill a Code requirement and more important, to identify the main near-…

This is the third paper on the topic of outcomes-based funding written by Dennis Jones for Complete College America. The first paper, "Performance Funding: From Idea to Action" (ED535356), proposed a set of design and implementation principles to help states develop and implement their own outcomes-based funding models. The second paper,…

Recently there have been greater calls for accountability within higher education, with a particular emphasis on retention and completion. More frequently than not, this accountability manifests itself through state funding formulas in which a percentage of state funds are directed towards performance. This article examines the history and trends…

This is a time of great challenge and opportunity for American higher education. The challenges are well-established and widely acknowledged: escalating standards for economic competitiveness, coupled with a severe economic downturn and protracted recovery, require broad access to relevant postsecondary education, training and retooling as never…