The 2009 Governors Education Symposium, co-hosted by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and the Hunt Institute, focused on the education priorities outlined in the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA): standards and assessment, longitudinal data systems, teacher effectiveness, and turnaround support for failing schools.

As governors across the country look at ways they can help build a green economy in their state, the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) has commissioned Collaborative Economics Inc. (CEI) to prepare a profile of each state's "green" economy.

A website has been launched by the Department of Treasury and HUD, to educate homeowners and borrowers about the new loan program. The Making Home Affordable loan program, announced in February, will offer loan modifications and refinancing to 7-9 million eligible homeowners.

The NGA Center convened the Shaping a Healthier Generation Advisory Council in response to the need for innovative and actionable childhood obesity prevention strategies for governors to implement in their states. This report, based on the Council’s work, aims to offer direction to governors and other policymakers who want to craft children’s health policies that prevent obesity and advance the well-being of families.

With support from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), the NGA Center, is worked with the CONNECT Project, the Hawaii Integrated Justice Information Sharing (HIJIS) program, and the Illinois Integrated Justice Information System (IIJIS) to develop privacy policies for justice information sharing programs.

Nearly two-thirds of jobs in 2014 will require at least some college, but only 25 percent of students currently earn a bachelor’s degree in six years. Advanced Placement (AP), which enables high school students to take introductory college-level courses, is the nation’s oldest example of a rigorous, common curriculum. Students who score well on AP exams are more likely to persist in college and earn a degree.

The HITECH Act, enacted as part of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, expands the role of states in fostering health information exchange and adoption of electronic health records over the next five years. This report, published by the State Alliance, is intended to give interim guidance to state leaders, and recommends actions states should begin to take, to ensure successful implementation of the HITECH Act.

With a workforce increasingly susceptible to chronic diseases, states are addressing the various conditions that account for more than 75 percent of all health care costs.

A decision-making body or governance structure is fundamental to the proper implementation of a statewide justice information sharing (JIS) program. This Issue Brief provides an overview of these governing bodies, which allow states to manage the task of working across multiple agencies and to create and implement strategic plans for JIS. Such arrangements are vital to success because they facilitate collective decision-making and formalize the decision-making process.

Implementing strategies to promote e-prescribing will move states toward a higher quality, more efficient health care system. E-prescribing also can serve as an important step in the movement toward fully integrated electronic health records (EHRs) and the electronic exchange of health information.

This report provides an update on state implementation of the Graduation Counts Compact, through which all 50 governors agreed to a more accurate and consistent formula for calculating high school graduation rates.

The report covers state-driven mechanisms only and is meant to help states identify strategies to consider in addressing their revenue needs alongside federal and local approaches.

The NGA Center is pleased to share the spring edition of Bright Futures. This issue highlights Early Childhood Advisory Council development in four NGA Center grantee states, considers opportunities for early childhood in the federal economic recovery package, and notes recent publications.

Federal, state, and local governments have made significant progress toward advancing interoperable communications; however, many challenges remain.

States are making considerable progress to meet the challenges associated with mission growth. However, with rising population numbers, significant and costly transportation demands, and a short timeline for responding, state efforts must be complemented with federal action. The Mission Growth Working Group of the NGA Center for Best Practices has recommended adjustments that should be made at the federal level.

The Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007 required governors to designate or establish a State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care to be eligible to apply for one-time federal grant funding. Resources for the start-up grants resulted from increases to the Head Start appropriation, which happened with the $1.1 billion increase through the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

This guide includes recommendations for state action on each strategy. It includes examples of both cost-neutral strategies and strategies that require new and sustainable investments to provide states with a range of options as they consider improving the education workforce.

Overview and resources to respond to pandemic influenza or other disease outbreaks.

Research demonstrates that high quality ELOs can improve a variety of student outcomes. Participation in high quality ELOs is linked to improvements in academic achievement, school attendance, student engagement, work-study habits, and social and emotional development.

In communities nationwide, public charter schools are meeting the growing demand for high-quality education opportunities. This is especially true in communities with underperforming public district schools that are not meeting the academic needs of students, including poor and minority students.

States have established a number of mortgage refinance and payment assistance programs to help homeowners at risk of foreclosure remain in their homes. This interactive map details existing programs in the states, with information on investment, administration, and eligibility.

The significant growth in the mission of many military bases across the country is placing substantial demands on the capacity and curriculum of the educational systems in their respective states as a large number of students are expected to arrive within a very short time frame. In response, states are employing a host of new education strategies and initiatives that will allow them to meet the needs of military families and the surrounding communities and take full advantage of the economic development that accompanies mission growth. The states predicted to be most affected are Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia, and Washington.

By law, all full-power television stations nationwide began broadcasting exclusively in a digital format on June 12, 2009.