Arising from a research-based, comprehensive school transformation strategy, community schools organize in- and out-of-school resources and supports such as mental health services, meals, health care, tutoring, internships, and other learning and career opportunities to fit specific community needs. Through this strategy, students, families,…

The prevalence of educator shortages has long been a topic of research and policy discussions in Illinois. Across multiple years, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools (IARSS) have collected data and reported on the magnitude, severity, and impact of shortages statewide. Prior…

High-quality work-based learning opportunities enable students to develop necessary skills and contribute to positive employment outcomes. State leaders are recognizing the value of work-based learning experiences -- not only for individuals but in service of state attainment and workforce development goals. As leaders recognize the value,…

The fourth school year impacted by the pandemic is more than halfway complete, and school district leaders across the country are working hard to invest remaining ESSER dollars strategically to support learning recovery. With the ESSER spending window closing soon, however, many leaders are spending funds to meet the deadline, rather than…

This non-regulatory guidance is intended to assist State educational agencies (SEAs) and local educational agencies (LEAs) in understanding and implementing programs under Title II, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to conduct a range of activities to provide teachers, principals, and other school leaders with the…

After being sued for inequity and inadequacy in school funding, many states in the US have reformed their education aid formulas but have still faced many criticisms. Using Connecticut as an example, this paper shows how to design a more equitable and adequate aid formula with tools to win broad support from communities and lawmakers. It develops…

This analysis from NASBE details how the Utah State Board of Education helped school districts across the state ensure that teachers and leaders have the capacity and skills to deliver digital learning in the classroom. The piece also identifies important lessons for other states looking to implement a statewide program to promote digital learning.

This researcher explored the relationship between fundraising results and graduation rates at the 50 Texas community college districts. Decreases of state funding to community colleges during the past several years has created not only problems meeting budget expenditures, but also encouraged the development of new ways of raising revenue to…

Based on events in Florida, this case explores issues that accompany the choice to arm school personnel as a means to address school violence and shootings. Readers consider the issue from the perspective of the school board of a large, diverse district and are presented with dilemmas while they consider the effectiveness, the political…

Ohio's school funding system is complex. The average taxpayer has at best a limited understanding about how their public schools' revenues and expenditures are collected, distributed, and expended. Overlay on the already complicated funding model with a myriad of school choice options with various funding mechanisms and amounts results in…

In 2013, California moved to drive more resources for students with higher needs, create more spending flexibility and let districts decide how to spend substantial new dollars by adopting a new watershed state finance policy, the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF). As California's Weighted Student Funding (WSF) law enters Year 5 of…

In 2013, California implemented a watershed weighted student funding formula (WSF) that deployed substantial new funds to districts based on their counts of student types, while also stripping long-standing spending constraints on districts. The state finance formula (the Local Control Funding Formula or LCFF) specifically boosted allocations to…

In 2013 California adopted a new watershed state finance policy, the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) to drive more resources to students with higher needs, create more spending flexibility, and let districts decide how to spend substantial new dollars. Our analysis examines financial data from nearly all California school systems to clarify…

With just months to go until the nation's overhauled K-12 law goes into effect, state policymakers are still scrambling to firm up the infrastructure for their education systems, under the new blueprint laid out in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). They're doing it at a time of political change and policy uncertainty at the national level,…

Lynette Brown-Snow, vice president of marketing and government relations for the Community College of Philadelphia, is one of several community college leaders across the country who have taken up one of the challenges proffered by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) in its 2012 report, "Reclaiming the American Dream:…