NGA Center for Best Practices
NGA Center for Best Practices teams develop innovative solutions to today’s most pressing public policy challenges. The NGA Center is the only research and development firm that directly serves the nation’s Governors.
Latest
2025 Winter Workforce Development Policy Institute
The first session on the first day of the 2025 Winter Workforce Development Policy Institute, held March 12–14 in Washington, D.C., presented a perfect encapsulation of why workforce development remains ...
Public Communications Playbook for Energy Emergencies
This playbook outlines essential strategies for state leaders to manage public communications during and energy emergency. This guidance equips Governors and senior state officials with a simple framework to navigate ...
Let’s Get Ready to Partner on Education
There is broad bipartisan agreement on the importance of preparing students for success and clear recognition that the current system needs improvement. The good news is that there are committed ...
Let’s Get Ready
All Americans should have access to education that prepares them for success in life. As the world changes and technology evolves, ensuring all students graduate with the skills and knowledge necessary for success is increasingly critical for our nation’s economic competitiveness.
As Governors, we lead states facing economic opportunities but also challenges, shortages in workforce, skills mismatch, and widening opportunity gaps that limit true economic mobility for Americans. We must take these indicators as a call to action.
Program Areas
Center for Best Practices Library
State Approaches to Implementing Community-Based Alternatives to Incarceration for Youth Involved in the Justice System
In many states, governors have led bipartisan juvenile justice reform to improve youth outcomes and public safety. Guiding those efforts ...
2017 Policy Institute for Governors’ Human Services Advisors
September 25–27, 2017 | Baltimore, MD The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) hosted a policy advisors' ...
State Strategies for Venture Capital and Rural Development
This webinar featured model rural programs from the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s State Small Business Credit Initiative. It was ...
Developing Talent in Rural America through Work-based Learning Experiences
As rural communities struggle to grow their economies and retain skilled labor, work-based learning experiences such as internships and apprenticeships ...
How Maryland Policymakers Are Working Together to Improve School Principal Quality
Many states have recently devoted significant attention to improving the quality of teaching and school leadership. Changes to teacher and ...
Transportation Electrification Webinar Training Series
The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) hosted a webinar series on converging trends in transportation electrification ...
Experts Roundtable on Creating “Smart States” Initiative
August 16, 2017 | Washington, DC The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center), in collaboration with the ...
Rural Health Learning Collaborative: Improving Access to Behavioral Health Care in Rural Areas
August 9–10, 2017 | Washington, DC The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) Health Division hosted a ...
2017 Water Policy Institute
August 8–9, 2017 | Annapolis, MD The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) held a meeting for ...
Maryland Retreat on Incentivizing State Agencies to Pursue Energy Efficiency
August 3, 2017 | Baltimore, MD The state of Maryland, in partnership with the National Governors Association Center for Best ...
2017 Health Policy Advisor Institute
The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) hosted its annual Health Policy Advisors Institute at the Snowbird ...
2017 Policy Institute for Governors’ Economic Advisors
July 18–21, 2017 | Annapolis, MD The 2017 Institute for Governors’ Economic Policy Advisors allowed governors’ top economic development staff ...
PAST NGA CHAIRS INITIATIVES
- 2023-2024
Gov. Spencer Cox’s Initiative
Disagree Better - 2022-2023
Gov. Phil Murphy’s Initiative
Strengthening Youth Mental Health - 2021-2022
Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s Initiative
K-12 Computer Science Education - View all…
