Civics education is a hot topic, as evidence shows that American young people appear to be losing faith in democracy itself. State education leaders must sort through fervent disputes on what students ought to learn and make good decisions on standards, assessment and accountability, as well as incentives for districts' selection of quality…

As generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) becomes more integrated into higher education, institutions struggle to communicate clear and effective policies. This multiple-methods study examines survey and interview data collected with 124 undergraduates and seven faculty members from two U.S. R1 universities regarding their perceptions of…

In this report, the authors analyze student attrition before the census date (which is the date by which community colleges count students as officially enrolled for each term) across community colleges in Texas, Kentucky, and California. They explore the magnitude of this issue, delve into the factors contributing to early student departures, and…

Access to postsecondary programs in prison has substantial benefits for both reentering individuals and their communities, but the majority of incarcerated people don't have access to programs that can set them up for a successful transition. State policymakers can play an important role in ensuring incarcerated learners have access to the…

The author examines and critiques Ohio's new education policy in the context of historical education policy.

We examine the impact of the Texas Research Incentive Program (TRIP), a state policy that offers matching funds to incentivize private-sector donations to certain public universities. We use a national dataset and employ a generalized difference-in-differences approach with matching procedures to estimate the treatment effect of TRIP on revenues…

Because states typically fund districts based on student counts, districts reporting shrinking enrollment worry about shrinking dollars as well. The seemingly obvious quick fix is for states to hold districts financially harmless for some or all of their enrollment loss. But states have many factors to weigh when deciding whether or how to go down…

Background: Anaphylaxis is a life-threatening allergic reaction with significant risk for children with allergies. Access to potentially life-saving medication is critical for these children. This review aims to describe state laws and policies guiding stock epinephrine in schools for allergic or anaphylactic events and detail recommendations for…

In many school districts, the policies that regulate teaching personnel are governed by collective bargaining agreements (CBAs). While there is significant policy attention that has affected the scope of these agreements, there is relatively little research on how CBAs vary over time, or whether they change in response to states' legislative…

Ample research has explored the nature and efficacy of urban charter schools since the turn of the century. However, much less attention has been given to the rural charter school sector. Using data obtained from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools from the 2018-2019 school year, we describe rural charter schools nationally in terms…

In a recent landscape of policies in 50 states and the District of Columbia, I found that states vary significantly in how they authorize, review, and approve teacher preparation providers and programs. What these policies have in common is a requirement that all programs meet the same standards. But in practice, they do not. Too often,…

The Kentucky Community and Technical Colleges System (KCTCS) began hiring diversity officers throughout the system in the mid-2000s. These highest-ranking diversity officers (HRDO) on each campus led their college's efforts to comply with the statewide diversity policy. A phenomenological approach was used to discover how former HRDOs in KCTCS…

States are working hard to bring the best technology to school districts and ultimately to classrooms and families. In a world in which technology is a required asset--essentially a utility, even if distribution remains inequitable--it raises important questions that the 2022 State EdTech Trends Survey seeks to start answering. How are state…

All states identify schools most in need of improvement by using school accountability systems and other metrics. State improvement strategies range in intensity from general technical assistance to alternative governance for identified schools or districts. This 50-State Comparison provides research into the K-12 school improvement policies in…

ArtScan at a Glance summarizes state policies for arts education identified in statute or administrative code for all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense Education Activity. Information is based on a comprehensive search of state education statute and codes on each state's relevant websites.