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.

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Improving Student, Family And School Staff Well-Being

NGA is working with six states and national and state partners, as well as grant support, to develop and carry out action plans focused on one or more specific state policy priorities related to students’ comprehensive development during and beyond COVID-19.

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.

Latest

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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Strategies for Parent, Family, Student and Community Engagement with K-12 Schools

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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Governors’ Education Policy Advisors Institute 2022

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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Computer Science Education

Jobs that require computer science skills and knowledge will only continue to grow during the 21st century. Especially as more remote working opportunities arise, state leaders want to ensure that graduates have the skills they need to find high-paying jobs without leaving the state. Governors are leading the charge to identify best practices in expanding access to computer science education in K-12 schools across the country.

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Meet The Team

Seth Gerson, Program Director

Catherine Van Ness, Senior Policy Analyst

Katie Nichols, Policy Coordinator

K-12 Topics

Health and Safety

Missouri Governor Mike Parson and Virgin Islands Governor Albert Bryan, co-chairs of the National Governors Association (NGA) Community Renewal Task Force, issued the following statement after meeting with U.S. Secretary ...
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NGA’s Community Renewal Co-Chairs and U.S. Education Secretary Discuss Reopening America’s Schools

Summary of Established State Thresholds (View/Download) Introduction As the country continues to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring high-quality K-12 education while also minimizing the risk that students, teachers, and staff ...
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COVID-19 K-12 SCHOOL OPENING AND CLOSING POLICIES

The need for child care for both young and school age children, who are learning from home during the day while adults work, has thus expanded to more families and ...
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Child Care for School-Aged Children

Student and Staff Well-Being

At the closing session of NGA’s Summer Meeting 2022, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy accepted the NGA Chair’s gavel from Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson and underlined the importance of Governors’ ...
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Governor Murphy Introduces Chair’s Initiative: Strengthening Youth Mental Health Care

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

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

Academic Recovery / Summer Learning and Enrichment

This webinar highlights lessons learned for afterschool and summer learning programs during the pandemic and Summer 2021. Panelists offer recommendations regarding accelerating learning, re-engaging students, and effective use of federal ...
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Lessons Learned from Afterschool and Summer Learning and Enrichment in 2021

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 ...
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K-12 Education: Reflect And Redesign

This webinar explores strategies for Governors to help school districts in addressing chronic absenteeism and reengaging students as they continue learning in pandemic-disrupted circumstances. The webinar offers lessons learned and ...
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Strategies for Reengaging Students During and Beyond The COVID-19 Pandemic

Digital Literacy

Outgoing NGA Chairman Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson opened the NGA Summer Meeting with an overview of his 2021-2022 Chairman’s Initiative to expand K-12 computer science education. After announcing the initiative last ...
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K-12 Computer Science Education – NGA 2022 Summer Meeting

The National Governors Association's 2022 Annual Summer Meeting was held was July 13-15, 2022, in Portland, Maine. Governors met to collaborate on bipartisan solutions to leading policy issues including computer ...
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NGA 2022 Summer Meeting

Portland, Maine – In the opening session of the National Governors Association (NGA) Summer Meeting, NGA Chairman Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson unveiled a Compact to Advance K-12 Computer Science Education ...
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Arkansas Governor Hutchinson Garners Bipartisan Support for Advancing Computer Science Education Nationally

Educator Workforce

School Leadership Hot Topics

In this webinar, Dr. Paul Manna of William and Mary shares findings from his new report, How Can State Policy Support Local School Districts as They Develop Comprehensive and Aligned ...
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State Policy Levers to Support Principal Pipelines

On Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019, the Education Division hosted a webinar on school leadership, titled “State Highlight: Louisiana’s Efforts to Develop and Support School Leaders.” During this webinar the division ...
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State Highlight: Louisiana’s Efforts to Develop and Support School Leaders

Education Finance

The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) hosted a webinar that provided state examples and strategies to address funding formulas, leverage public taxpayer investments and increase effective ...
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Financing an Equitable and High-Quality K-12 Education System

K-12, Postsecondary, Workforce Connections

Summary This topic paper details how dual and concurrent enrollment programs can help states overcome workforce readiness and postsecondary access and completion challenges and how governors can strengthen these programs ...
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Education Topic Papers a Governor’s Dual Enrollment Framework for Success

$3.5 million in grants to National Governors Association, Education Commission of the States will incubate new pathways to opportunity for 32 million Americans left out of economic growth ...
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Strada Education Network Invests in Development of State Policies for Adult Learners, Disconnected Youth

The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) held a learning lab exploring strategies states can use to expand and scale work-based learning opportunities for youth and young ...
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