State Policy

Governors’ education priorities and states legislative trends on school funding, pandemic responses, parent rights and other education topics

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Explainer

Governors’ Education Priorities in their 2024 State-of-the-State Addresses

Authored byBella DiMarco

In their 2024 State-of-the-State addresses, governors laid out plans for private-school choice, increasing teacher pay, harnessing the power of AI, and more.

Report

The Big Test: The Future of Statewide Standardized Assessments

Authored byLynn Olson, Craig Jerald

The backlash against standardized testing that has changed how states evaluate students

Explainer

State Education Funding: The Poverty Equation

Authored byNicole Katz

A breakdown of each state’s education funding and how equitably it’s being distributed

Commentary

The Hidden Provision Driving Tax Breaks for Private School Tuition

Authored byThomas Toch, Brooke LePage

A federal tax provision allowing families to devote money tax free to private school tuition

Report

Scaling Reform: Tennessee’s Statewide Teacher Transformation

Authored byLynn Olson

Tennessee’s redesign of its teaching profession

Commentary

The Pandemic and the Teacher Pay Problem

Authored byThomas Toch, Sandi Jacobs

How the pandemic disrupted teacher pension systems

Explainer

Legislative Tracker: 2024 State Private-School Choice Bills

Authored byBella DiMarco

Tracking 2024 state legislation on vouchers, education savings accounts, and other education scholarships

Explainer

Legislative Tracker: 2024 State Student-Absenteeism Bills

Authored byBella DiMarco

Tracking 2024 state legislation on initiatives to identify, prevent, and address chronic absenteeism in schools

Explainer

Legislative Tracker: 2023 Parent-Rights Bills in the States

Authored byBella DiMarco

An interactive tracker of state legislation on parents rights

Rainy-Day Funds

$136.8 billion

Estimated rainy-day funds among states in FY2023
$134.5 billion

Estimated rainy-day funds among states in FY2022

Source: National Association of State Budget Officers

Charter School Laws

45

States, plus DC, that have passed laws allowing public charter schools as of Dec. 2022
3.7 million

Public charter school students in the U.S., 2020-21

Source: National Alliance for Public Charter Schools

NAEP Scores 2022

5 points

Decline in NAEP reading scores between 2020 and 2022
7 points

Decline in NAEP math scores

Source: National Assessment of Educational Progress 2022

Mental Health Laws

38

States that enacted laws providing resources to support mental well-being in K-12 schools last year
16

States that require staff training on recognizing and responding to mental distress in students

Source: Pew Charitable Trust