Student Learning

Students across the country have opportunities to learn through different modalities. States look to provide innovative options for varying student needs, including competency-based education, remote learning and services to alleviate interrupted instruction. With multiple learning modalities and possibilities of long-term school closures, states also look to flexible assessment and accountability systems.

This page catalogues policies affecting learning, assessment and interruptions to student learning.

Recently Published Resources

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Policy Levers to Advance Credential Transparency

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Policy Brief

Advancing School Leadership Through State Policy

School leaders play a pivotal role in school and student success. Effective principals boost student outcomes — from attendance to academic achievement — and may have a greater impact on […]

State Information Request: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Guidelines

Our staff was asked about state artificial intelligence guidelines. Our response includes examples of how states may be developing AI curriculum or folding AI curriculum into existing computer science standards […]

State Information Request: Cell Phone Use Policies

A state legislator asked for information on cell phone use policies in schools. Our response offers an overview of state and local policies on cell phone use in schools and […]

Ed Note Blog Posts

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High School K-12

How Are States Approaching Cell Phone Use in Schools?

Over the past few years, school and state leaders have acted on concerns about how cell phone use is impacting students and teachers. Concerns like student data privacy, social media […]

High School K-12

A child holds a small American flag out of a car window. The child is smiling in the reflection of the side view mirror.

Civics Education Carved in New Hampshire Granite

In recent years, New Hampshire has reimagined its policy commitments to K-12 civics education. Last spring, the New Hampshire Civic Learning Coalition, convened by NH Civics, championed S.B. 216 — […]

K-12

An elementary school teacher sits atop a table speaking to a small group of five students in a classroom during the daytime. Each of the five children are looking up at their teacher.

Turning Back the Tide: The Critical Role of States In Reducing Chronic Absenteeism

Chronic absenteeism has risen drastically in our country — increasing from 16% of students before the COVID-19 pandemic to nearly 30% by the 2021-22 school year. During the 2021-22 school […]

Postsecondary

A stack of books, a gavel and a graduation cap sit on a table inside a library to represent expanding education access and graduation opportunities for people impacted by the justice system.

Expanding Education Access for Justice-Impacted Students

Nearly two million people are incarcerated across federal, state, local and tribal systems in the United States. Among those, 95% of people will be released to rejoin their communities, but […]

Early Education (P-3)K-12

Early Grade Literacy: Is Third Grade Retention Effective?

In 2023, 14 governors noted the importance of literacy in their State of the State addresses. Ten governors specifically highlighted efforts to improve early grade literacy for kindergarten through third […]

K-12

How Can States Support Immigrant Students’ Education?

Conversations about immigrant and refugee students often obscure the fact that federal laws — bolstered by court decisions throughout the past few decades — provide newcomer students with the right […]

K-12

North Carolina's Promising Approach to Learning Recovery

As the education landscape continues to be impacted by school closures, quarantines and staffing uncertainties resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, states have been working hard to reduce the long-term effects […]

K-12

How Illinois Supports School Districts in Closing Equity Gaps

The recent release of National Assessment of Educational Progress data highlights the scale of interrupted learning caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and points to the exacerbation of existing inequities in […]

K-12

The Nation’s Report Card Is Back: What Do the Results Say?

The National Assessment of Educational Progress, administered by the National Center for Education Statistics in the U.S. Department of Education, offers trend data that is comparable across states. NAEP is […]

K-12

A teacher with dark brown skin and a bald hair style smiles while helping two students with a math problem. One student has brown skin and natural hair and the other has light brown skin and long, dark-brown hair. The bottom left corner of the image says “guest post.”

Trends in State Allocations of ESSER Funds

After passing the Sept. 30 deadline for states to allocate CARES Act relief funds, states are on track to spend the first round of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief […]

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