Top IT Actions to Save States Money and Boost Efficiency, and the accompanying white paper focus on actions states can take to improve their use of technology with little or no investment in new information technology systems.
Increasing amounts of data are now available to parents, educators, researchers and policymakers. However, it has not been fully utilized because critical data are not collected, which can limit policymakers and educators ability to diagnose problems and offer solutions. Using Data to Guide State Education Policy and Practice offers practical policy options to remove those obstacles and ensure the right data are being captured and interpreted.
Awarding credits based on student mastery of content and skills can remove barriers to increasing student readiness for college and careers, according to a new issue brief released by the National Governors Association.
Clean State Energy Actions: 2011 Update examined clean energy activities by all 50 states, as well as the territories and commonwealths to identify existing policy models as well as emerging policy tools states can replicate.
The nation’s governors are advancing new ways to develop transmission that will bring more renewable energy into the market and support businesses in their states. State Strategies for Accelerating Transmission Development for Renewable Energy, and the accompanying white paper, examines successful state efforts governors can use to accelerate transmission development for renewable energy to help meet a variety of energy diversity, economic development and environmental goals.
Creating a College and Career Readiness Accountability Model for High Schools recommends that states consider the following principles when designing a college and career readiness accountability system for high schools
Strategies for States to Encourage and Fund Community Care Teams outlines the role that community care teams can play in improving the quality and value of health care provided by the states, especially to Medicaid populations.
The National Governors Association (NGA) recently hosted a National Summit on Government Redesign: Solutions for Making Tough Budget Choices, bringing together senior officials from more than 20 states and territories who support governors in making budgetary choices.
Long-Term Services and Supports: Challenges and Opportunities for States in Difficult Budget Times discusses the challenges and opportunities that states confront in the current budget climate in expanding their LTSS systems for seniors, adults with physical disabilities and individuals at risk of nursing home placement.
Governors and other state leaders have shown an increasing interest in creating new models of teacher compensation that would reward educators based on their contributions to student learning. To support this interest, the National Governors Association (NGA) hosted a policy academy focusing on that issue.
As governors look for the best strategies to strengthen state economic performance, states and their education institutions have taken the following actions to address these challenges: adopted rigorous math and science standards and improved assessments; recruited and retained more qualified classroom teachers; provided more rigorous preparation for STEM students; used informal leaning to expand math and science beyond the classroom; enhanced the quality and supply of STEM teachers; and established goals for postsecondary institutions to meet STEM job needs.
Nearly all governors have designated a state early childhood advisory council to advise policymakers in the state on how to best meet the needs of children from birth to school entry.
During the past few years, more than 30 states have enacted legislation to change the way teachers are evaluated. The new laws require the annual evaluation of teachers; typically, multiple evaluations during the school year are required for new teachers.
States continue to struggle during what is the most difficult fiscal environment since the Great Depression. Projections are that the economic recovery will be slow, forcing states to think long-term about how to do more with less.
At least 8 million of the jobs available to college graduates in 2018 will be in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) professions. Even though nearly all sectors where job growth is occurring require a variety of STEM skills, efforts to build a STEM-skilled workforce currently fall short.
Public colleges and universities, which educate the vast majority of the nation's students, are an important part of states’ economic competitiveness efforts. These institutions face a number of pressures that will demand increased productivity and a data driven investment strategy moving forward.
Efforts to improve educational attainment are hampered by the high school dropout crisis. At a time when governors are calling for changes to improve higher education access and success, more than 1 million youth ages 16 to 19 are not enrolled in school and do not have a high school diploma.
The 2011 Governors Education Symposium, co-hosted by the NGA Center and the Hunt Institute, focused on advancing education reform with limited resources, improving postsecondary completion and productivity, preparing career- and college-ready students and measuring and evaluating effective teaching.
A principal’s effectiveness impacts both teachers and students. Effective principals improve the retention of effective teachers and the outcomes of students. Although all schools can benefit from an effective school principal, there is an emergent need for schools that are chronically low-performing.
The NGA Center released The Governors’ Speak: A Summary of the 2011 State of the State Addresses, an updated analysis of governors’ speeches in 50 states and Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The State Alliance publishes white papers as resources for states to use in developing and implementing electronic health policies and best practices.
