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
Reimagining Rural Maternal and Child Health
Rural Health Transformation Program Insights (Download) Maternal and child health (MCH) outcomes continue to raise national concern despite ongoing targeted initiatives, community-based interventions, and executive measures aimed at improving population ...
Building Degree Apprenticeships in Louisiana: A State-Led Approach to Strengthening the Teacher Pipeline
Louisiana’s experience, which has been built on strong pilots that are maturing into a statewide model, offer a few clear takeaways for governors looking to launch similar efforts. (Download) Why ...
Building Degree Apprenticeships in North Carolina: A State-Led Approach to Expanding Earn-and-Learn Pathways
Structurally aligning apprenticeship offices and higher education agencies can significantly reduce friction in program development and help ensure that competencies, curriculum and employer needs are built together cohesively from the ...
Reigniting the American Dream
Every American should have the opportunity to build a life of purpose, to strengthen their community, and to help shape a nation defined not only by prosperity, but by potential realized. Yet across our very diverse states, too many people have lost faith in this opportunity. They’ve faced too many obstacles, encountered too many closed doors, and given up the hope of a brighter future. We can do better.
Reigniting the American Dream is more than an initiative. It’s an invitation for every U.S. governor to take action.
Program Areas
Center for Best Practices Library
Reimagining Rural Maternal and Child Health
Rural Health Transformation Program Insights (Download) Maternal and child health (MCH) outcomes continue to raise national concern despite ongoing targeted ...
Building Degree Apprenticeships in Louisiana: A State-Led Approach to Strengthening the Teacher Pipeline
Louisiana’s experience, which has been built on strong pilots that are maturing into a statewide model, offer a few clear ...
Building Degree Apprenticeships in North Carolina: A State-Led Approach to Expanding Earn-and-Learn Pathways
Structurally aligning apprenticeship offices and higher education agencies can significantly reduce friction in program development and help ensure that competencies, ...
Reimagining and Strengthening the Role of the School Principal
Megan Bennett and Chelsea Mary Chang of the Aspen Institute's Education and Society Program join NGA to discuss bold new ...
Governors Advancing Youth Apprenticeship Through Legislative and Executive Action in 2026
Youth apprenticeships represent a powerful tool for governors to provide opportunities for young people to gain skills and certifications for ...
State Snapshots For Strengthening The Educator Workforce
A series of conversations with nationally recognized experts in the education field on strategies and promising practices for strengthening educator ...
AI and the Future of Work
As the labor market rapidly evolves with advances in artificial intelligence (AI), governors stand at the forefront of innovative, bipartisan ...
Permitting Reform
America’s energy problem is not resources, it is speed. Governors from both parties have united behind a package of commonsense ...
Attainment Through Apprenticeship
Degree apprenticeships are emerging as a powerful strategy for states and territories seeking to align education and workforce systems, address ...
2026 Health Policy Leadership Forum
The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) convened state and territory governors’ health policy advisors in Charlotte, ...
High-Quality Youth Development and Out-of-School-Time (OST) Opportunities
In this webinar, Jodi Grant from the Afterschool Alliance and Dr. Deborah Moroney from American Institutes for Research discuss how ...
Building the Infrastructure America Needs
Infrastructure works best when no one notices it. Clean water flows from the tap, goods move efficiently across highways and ...
PAST NGA CHAIRS INITIATIVES
- 2024-2025
Gov. Jared Polis’s Initiative
Let’s Get Ready! - 2023-2024
Gov. Spencer Cox’s Initiative
Disagree Better - 2022-2023
Gov. Phil Murphy’s Initiative
Strengthening Youth Mental Health - View all…