K-12 Education

Governors are leading efforts across the country to ensure that students in their states graduate prepared to succeed in postsecondary, the workforce, and life. The NGA K-12 Education Team supports Governors in these efforts by regularly bringing together Governors’ education policy advisors to connect with and learn from each other and national and state experts in the field; providing ongoing responsive and proactive technical assistance; and through the development of resources and reports that spotlight promising practices and actionable strategies on timely topics, including addressing students’ academic recovery and well-being and strengthening educator recruitment and retention.

Latest

State Education Trends for 2023

The top trends across the early childhood, K-12 and postsecondary education continuum from Governors’ 2023 state addresses. By Jillian Meinhardt and Catherine Van Ness In 2022, 36 states and three ...
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Academic and Career Success – 2023 NGA Winter Meeting Task Force Meeting

At the 2023 NGA Winter Meeting, Idaho Governor Brad Little and Colorado Governor Jared Polis co-hosted a discussion on how Governors are working to meet the needs of students today ...
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Governors Engage with Federal Officials

The NGA Winter Meeting offers an opportunity for Governors to meet with Federal Partners and share the real-world impact of federal policies. By Tiffany Waddell States are famously “the laboratories ...
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Strategies for Addressing the Comprehensive Needs of Students and Families Through Community Schools and Wraparound Supports

This webinar discusses strategies to address the comprehensive needs of students and families through community schools and wraparound supports. Panelists explain the evidence in this field, discuss how community schools ...
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K-12 Education: Reflect And Redesign

Watch a series of conversations with subject matter experts, state education leaders, and practitioners that reflect on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and elevate strategies and models for redesigning key features of the education system as states and school districts move forward, hosted by the NGA’s Center for Best Practices K-12 Education Team.

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School Leadership Hot Topics

On School Leadership Hot Topics, nationally recognized education experts share their knowledge and insights on strategies and promising practices for advancing school leadership policies and priorities at the gubernatorial and state level. For additional information and resources on principals and school leaders, please visit the Wallace Foundation Knowledge Center.

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Meet The Team

Seth Gerson, Program Director

Catherine Van Ness, Senior Policy Analyst
Jillian Meinhardt, Policy Analyst

Katie Nichols, Policy Coordinator

K-12 Topics

Health and Safety

On Thursday, August 25th, the National Governors Association Bipartisan Working Group on School and Community Safety hosted the first of a three-part briefing series on the “Bipartisan Safer Communities Act ...
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Improving Mental Health Services and Increasing Supportive Services in Schools

The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022 (P.L. 117-159), aims to combat gun violence, and includes provisions that will improve access to mental health care and help equip schools with ...
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Bipartisan Safer Communities Act

During their State of the State addresses in 2022, Governors highlighted the need for increased social, emotional, mental, and behavioral health supports for students and school staff. By Catherine Van ...
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State of the States: Student and School Staff Health and Wellness

Student and Staff Well-Being

NGA worked with a bipartisan group of six Governors’ offices to address the well-being of students and school staff during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. The National Governors Association (NGA) ...
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Improving Student, Family and School Staff Well-Being

Strategies for Addressing the Comprehensive Needs of Students and Families Through Community Schools and Wraparound Supports

This webinar discusses strategies to improve parent, family, student and community engagement with K-12 schools. Panelists explain the research in this field, offer recommendations for state policy leaders and highlight ...
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Strategies for Parent, Family, Student and Community Engagement with K-12 Schools

Academic Recovery / Summer Learning and Enrichment

Governors’ advisors met in Greensboro, North Carolina to discuss current challenges and state solutions in K-12 education policy. By Seth Gerson & Catherine Van Ness The National Governors Association (NGA) ...
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Governors’ Education Policy Advisors Institute 2022

Governors discussed the impact of interrupted instruction on K-12 students and highlighted plans for additional academic supports, including afterschool and summer learning, during their State of the State addresses. By ...
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State of the States: Academic Supports

Conversations with education leaders in Colorado and Ohio co-hosted by the National Governors Association and Chiefs for Change. This two-part webinar series co-hosted by Chiefs for Change and the National ...
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Elevating Opportunities for Innovation: Education Leadership in Colorado and Ohio

Digital Literacy

Access to fast, reliable broadband is critical to households, businesses, and communities in the modern economy. The ongoing COVID-19 public health emergency has underscored the necessity of broadband access for ...
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Broadband

Governors are prioritizing digital skill development across the education and training continuum, from K-12 curriculum to upskilling and reskilling for workers and adult learners. (Download) Executive Summary The COVID-19 pandemic ...
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Lessons Learned In Workforce Innovation: How Six States Are Planning to Advance Digital Skills for Equitable Economic Participation

The Digital Equity Act will deploy $2.75 billion in grants to states. Over five years, states will apply for and deploy funds to advance digital literacy and digital skill development, ...
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State Postsecondary Education’s Role in Digital Equity Planning

Educator Workforce

Governors’ Education Policy Advisors Institute 2022

Today, National Governors Association Chair New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and Vice Chair Utah Governor Spencer Cox released the following statement regarding the administration’s efforts to address teacher shortages and ...
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Governors Welcome Action to Address Teacher Shortages

Community Renewal Task Force Co-Chair Missouri Governor Mike Parson, hosted a virtual session focused on the state of the educator workforce as states and territories prepare for the 2022-2023 school ...
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Community Renewal Task Force Meeting on the Educator Workforce

Education Finance

State-specific funding profiles that illustrate federal to state resource allocation to support children and students under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. After the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act ...
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American Rescue Plan State Funding Profiles

This webinar explores opportunities, challenges, and strategies for governors as they create and move forward state education budgets during and beyond COVID-19. Topics of the conversation include how governors can ...
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Strategies for Advancing Equity Through State Education Budgets During & Beyond COVID

On February 14, 2018, the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices Education division and WestEd held a webinar focused on early care and education (ECE) finance. The webinar highlighted ...
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Financing an Equitable and High-Quality System: Investing in Early Learning

K-12, Postsecondary, Workforce Connections

Work-based learning provides students with authentic work experiences where they apply and develop employability and technical skills that support success in careers and postsecondary education. Work-based learning activities culminate in ...
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Work Based Learning

Background During this time of unprecedented educational and economic disruption, governors and state leaders can take steps to ensure equitable access to postsecondary education for graduating seniors. Each year, roughly ...
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K-12 to Postsecondary Transitions During COVID-19: Opportunities for Governors and States

Students enrolled in dual credit courses are relying upon multiple stakeholders to execute the transition from the classroom to virtual learning. Questions of where to find resources to continue their ...
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Dual Credit in the Time of COVID-19

NGA K-12 Education Library

State Education Trends for 2023

Academic and Career Success – 2023 NGA Winter Meeting Task Force Meeting

At the 2023 NGA Winter Meeting, Idaho Governor Brad Little and Colorado Governor Jared Polis co-hosted a discussion on how Governors are working to meet the needs of students today ...
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