Effective school leadership and access to high-quality early education are two of the most important determinants of educational outcomes, according to a new paper released today by the National Governors Association (NGA).
States are actively pursuing reforms to enhance the quality and cost-effectiveness of health care services provided to pregnant women and children, according to a report released by the National Governors Association (NGA). Many state efforts involve changes in the way services are delivered and paid for to ensure better results and improve access to care.
Using Executive Orders to Advance Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy explores how governors can use executive orders to make measurable progress toward their energy goals, particularly if they include clear direction to state agencies, concrete timelines and incentives and opportunities for gubernatorial leadership.
Governors continue to advance innovative policy approaches to further the use of energy efficiency, renewable energy and other clean energy resources, according to the 2012 update to the State Clean Energy Actions report, released by the National Governors Association (NGA).
The ability of the American worker to adapt to technological innovation and worldwide competition is the key to economic security in the future, according to a report released by the National Governors Association (NGA). The report notes that the current approach to workforce development in the U.S. was designed for a different set of economic realities than those that exist today.
Trends in State Implementation of the Common Core State Standards: Communications, the second brief in a four-part series on CCSS implementation, focuses on communicating the need for, and a vision of, reform.
“Making” Our Future focuses on the results of an NGA Center for Best Practices Policy Academy where teams from eight states—California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania—participated in an intensive, year-long strategic planning process to support advanced manufacturing by combining workforce education and support for business innovation, university-industry partnerships and public and private sector entrepreneurship.
States play a significant role in online education, both as providers and as regulators, according to this report released by the National Governors Association (NGA).
Report offers a snapshot of sector strategies today, an overview of what makes them different from traditional workforce and economic development programs and a description of actions that state administrators and policymakers can take as part of a policy framework to support the strategies’ creation and effective operation.
One way states could increase access to primary care for their residents is to consider easing their scope of practice restrictions and modifying their reimbursement policies to increase the role of nurse practitioners in providing primary care, according to a new paper released by the National Governors Association.
Improving Preparedness Through Sharing Public Health and Homeland Security Information examines how states can combine and consolidate programs to avoid duplication of efforts. By directing agency heads and encouraging local governments to develop an integrated approach to sharing information among public health and homeland security agencies, states can greatly improve their situational awareness of emerging threats and disaster response.
With continued strains on state budgets, governors are finding innovative ways to do more with less across state government.
Governors play a critical role in ensuring teachers and principals are prepared to support students in meeting the expectations of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for K-12 English language arts/literacy and mathematics, according to a new issue brief released by the National Governors Association.
To increase student achievement, more states are pursuing reforms in both early care and education (ECE) programs and K-12, according to Governor’s Role in Aligning Early Education and K-12 Reforms: Challenges, Opportunities, and Benefits for Children, a new white paper released by the National Governors Association.
Over the past 20 years, states have worked with the Department Of Energy (DOE) on the cleanup of nuclear weapons production sites.
The abuse of prescription drugs is the fastest growing drug problem in the United States, and is the most common type of drug abuse after marijuana use among teens between the ages of 12 and 17. To combat the growing problem, the National Governors Association (NGA) is hosting a year-long project led by Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley and Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper.
Current economic realities provide governors a unique opportunity to review their states’ economic landscapes and propose critical changes to consolidate and streamline their approaches to economic development, according to an issue brief released by the National Governors Association.
Governors are advancing several new state policy innovations to reduce energy consumption and increase the amount of energy produced from renewable sources, such as the wind or the sun, according to an issue brief released today by the National Governors Association (NGA).
The National Governors Association held a meeting for states entitled Health Care: Next Steps after the Supreme Court Decision, which offered governors’ health policy advisors, Medicaid directors, insurance commissioners and exchange leads an opportunity to confer with each other, federal officials and health system experts about next steps relative to their state’s health care system. Here is a summary of the meeting and an appendix of questions from states compiled during the meeting.
The National Governors Association hosted a forum, “Preparing for Public Safety Broadband,” to help states with the implementation of the nationwide broadband network dedicated to public safety communications. During the forum NGA released Steps to Prepare for Public Safety Broadband and an accompanying white paper, which outlines the essential steps states can take now to prepare for implementation.
Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) provide a critical source of health insurance coverage to low-income pregnant women, infants, and children. These reports highlight state trends in health care coverage for women and children through Medicaid and SCHIP.
New Engines of Growth: Five Roles for Arts, Culture, and Design focuses on the role that arts, culture and design can play in governors’ policies to create jobs and boost their economies in the short run and transition to an innovation-based economy in the long run.
A System of Trust: Privacy Policies for Justice Information Sharing builds upon the lessons learned from a recent NGA meeting held in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance. Participating states created privacy policies designed to govern their integrated justice information systems, provide accountability for potential misuse of the system and protect the privacy rights of individuals.
While the United States remains the world hub of science and technology capacity, its dominance is being challenged by the fast growth of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) talent in Asia and other parts of the developing world. Currently, the increase of students pursuing studies and careers in STEM lags. The Role of Informal Science in the State Education Agenda looks at a type of innovation that complements other important initiatives.
