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

State of the State – 2025

State of the State – 2025

Governors of America's Commonwealths, States and Territories are outlining their priorities for 2025. To showcase their leadership and priorities for the year ahead, the National Governors Association is collecting their ...
Educating All Americans for Success

Educating All Americans for Success

Last July, at the NGA Summer Meeting in Salt Lake City, Colorado Governor Jared Polis was elected Chair of the National Governors Association. Each year, NGA’s Chair selects an issue ...
Hard at Work(force) Development

Hard at Work(force) Development

The NGA Center’s Workforce Development team had a busy fall with new publications on Actualizing the Promise of Youth Apprenticeship, Workforce Strategies for New Industrial Policies, and Aligning the Workforce ...

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

NGA Center Influenza Resources

Preparing for a Pandemic Influenza: A Primer for Governors and Senior State Officials Sustaining the State Workforce: Strategies for Effective ...

Small Business Initiatives for Health Coverage and Disease Prevention

Small businesses create a majority of new jobs in the country and make significant contributions to the nation’s economic viability ...
Arts & the Economy: Using Arts and Culture to Stimulate State Economic Development

Arts & the Economy: Using Arts and Culture to Stimulate State Economic Development

Through the creative industries, states have an opportunity to create jobs, attract investments, generate tax revenues, and stimulate local economies ...
Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Update: States Increase Eligibility for Children’s Health in 2007

Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Update: States Increase Eligibility for Children’s Health in 2007

Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) provide a critical source of health insurance coverage to low-income pregnant ...
Promoting Film and Media to Enhance State Economic Development

Promoting Film and Media to Enhance State Economic Development

Film and media arts can play a key role in state economic development. As economic impact studies continue to demonstrate ...
State Efforts to Expand Broadband Access

State Efforts to Expand Broadband Access

This Issue Brief reviews state efforts to expand broadband access by offering examples of implementation strategies. In addition, we highlight ...
State Efforts to Promote Reading and Literary Activities in Communities

State Efforts to Promote Reading and Literary Activities in Communities

Policies and programs that support reading can help create a culture of reading and community action. By promoting literary reading, ...
Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Update 2005: States Make Modest Expansions to Health Care Coverage

Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Update 2005: States Make Modest Expansions to Health Care Coverage

Medicaid continues to be the nation’s largest health insurance program for low-income people. This report examines some of the policies ...
MCH Update: States Protect Health Care Coverage During Recent Fiscal Downturn

MCH Update: States Protect Health Care Coverage During Recent Fiscal Downturn

Medicaid is the nation’s largest health insurance program for low-income persons. The data in this report show state efforts around ...
MCH Update 2002: State Health Coverage for Low-Income Pregnant Women, Children, and Parents

MCH Update 2002: State Health Coverage for Low-Income Pregnant Women, Children, and Parents

Since 1990, the NGA Center has reported on the status of state Medicaid coverage of children and pregnant women and ...
MCH Update 2001: Trends in State Health Insurance Coverage of Pregnant Women, Children, and Parents

MCH Update 2001: Trends in State Health Insurance Coverage of Pregnant Women, Children, and Parents

Since 1990, the NGA Center has reported on the status of state Medicaid coverage of children and pregnant women and ...
Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Update: States Have Expanded Eligibility and Increased Access to Health Care for Pregnant Women and Children

Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Update: States Have Expanded Eligibility and Increased Access to Health Care for Pregnant Women and Children

In January 2001, the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) announced that more than 3.3 million previously uninsured children now have ...

PAST NGA CHAIRS INITIATIVES