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
Governors Prioritizing Postsecondary Strategies: Multiple Pathways Highlighted in 2025 State and Territory Addresses
Governors across the country made clear that postsecondary education remains central to their policy agendas in their 2025 State and Territory addresses—including State of the State, Inaugural, and Budget speeches ...
Membership Monthly – April 2025
Updates from the NGA Membership Team for April 2025. For more about the programs below and a list of upcoming events please email NGA at: membership@nga.org. ABOVE: Virginia Governor Glenn ...
Workforce Investments for A Robust Health Ecosystem
To help commemorate National Public Health Week 2025, this publication is part of an NGA series that explores policies, programs and considerations to improve population health. Addressing health needs through ...
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
Intergovernmental Meeting with the U.S. Department of Energy
November 15–17, 2017 | San Antonio, TX The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) hosted the 16th ...
Grid Smarts: State Considerations for Adopting Grid Modernization Technologies
Governors can guide the consideration of trade-offs in adopting grid modernization technologies by setting clear policy goals and ensuring that ...
Maternal and Child Health Update 2016
Health care costs continue to rise around the country, and so states are looking for ways to reduce spending while ...
Nuclear Energy Webinar Series
The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) hosted a webinar series on nuclear energy. As nuclear power ...
Human Capital Learning Lab
October 23–24, 2017 | New Orleans, LA The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) hosted the Human ...
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 ...
Energy Innovation Summit
October 4–5, 2017 | Denver, CO The world is changing rapidly, with innovative technologies affecting our way of life and ...
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 ...
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…