In a joint fact sheet, The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS) and National Student Legal Defense Network (Student Defense) partnered to provide key facts about the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) and how it can undermine student protections.

Charter schools were originally intended to improve the American public education system by introducing innovative practices that could be replicated elsewhere. Charter critics and proponents alike, however, question the degree to which charter schools are truly innovative. While alarm has been raised about apparent conformity among charter…

Introduction: The variability of nursing education quality and regulations between states raises questions about consistency of learner outcomes. The lack of standardization raises questions regarding its impact on new graduate nurses' transition to professional practice, their ability to provide safe patient care and the overall impact on public…

In the past fifty years, governments across the world have experimented with a variety of market-based reforms to improve public service delivery. Market-based policies have been particularly influential in efforts to reform K-12 education governance in the United States. Prominent examples of these reforms include laws establishing public charter…

When the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) began requiring states to identify schools for support and improvement plans, the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (NDDPI) recognized a statewide challenge. As a variety of improvement efforts got underway at individual schools and districts, the department lacked an overarching plan and…

This report is the third in a three-part series examining how institutions of higher education have responded to state and federal policies limiting the use of transcript holds for unpaid balances. Ithaka S+R partnered with the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) to field the 2024 Transcript Hold…

This report analyzes the evolution and effectiveness of standards-based reforms in U.S. education. Starting from the increased federal involvement with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 1965 to the Goals 2000 launch of more recent reforms, the document explores the role of state governments in implementing systemic reforms aimed at…

In his letter introducing the 2011 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, former President Barack Obama stated "we know that from the moment students enter a school, the most important factor in their success is not the color of their skin or the income of their parents--it is the teacher standing at the front of the…

Education policies often result in and/or perpetuate inequitable and marginalizing outcomes. To that point, education policy may be viewed as an act of white supremacy. The purpose of this study was to examine the Minnesota Desegregation Rule (MR 3535.0100-0180) as a cultural artifact of race-related policy in US public education. Critical…

The growing recognition of "how much" principals matter for student learning and "how" they make a difference has fueled the need to ensure that effective principals are leading every school. One way to achieve this is through principal evaluation, which has experienced significant changes in the last decade. We conducted a…

Access to general education preschool in California has varied for children with disabilities. One reason for the disparity of educational placement is the preschool regulations outlined in California Department of Education's Title 22: Community Care Licensing guidelines. These regulations, particularly in preschool, support or hinder preschool…

As required by 20 U.S.C. 1407 and 34 C.F.R. § 300.199, the Ohio Department of Education is identifying in writing to local educational agencies and the United States Department of Education the state-imposed special education rules, regulations, and policies adopted by the State Board of Education that are not required by Part B of the Individuals…

This 17th edition of Minimum Qualifications for Faculty and Administrators in California Community Colleges is an update of the disciplines lists including those noticed to the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges (Board of Governors) at the July 12 and September 20, 2021 meetings. The handbook incorporates changes that resulted…

The federal Gun-Free Schools Act (GFSA) enacted in1994 requires U.S. public school systems to report any incident of a student bringing a firearm to school or being in possession of a firearm on school property, the law applies to all states and jurisdictions funded under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965. Under federal…

Anecdotal evidence points to the importance of school principals, but the limited existing research has neither provided consistent results nor indicated any set of essential characteristics of effective principals. This paper exploits extensive student-level panel data across six states to investigate both variations in principal performance and…