This blog covered state education policy, tracking governors, legislatures, state schools chiefs, and political developments. This blog is no longer being updated, but you can continue to explore these issues on edweek.org by visiting our related topic pages: state policy, state legislatures, state superintendents, and governors.
Education
K-12 Spending Climbed From 2015 to 2016, NCES Reports
The National Center for Education Statistics found that school district spending increased by more than 2 percent between 2015 and 2016, the result of a surging economy, and overall K-12 spending increased by 3.2 percent.
Education
Does Moving to a Brand New School Building Improve Student Learning?
Researchers from the California Policy Lab tracked data from millions of Los Angeles students over the period of a more-than $10 billion, multiyear school construction push.
Education
States Are Spending Way Too Little on Schools, Report Concludes
The Albert Shanker Institute says most states spend far less than needed for high-poverty school districts to achieve even average national test scores.
Education
Survey Finds More State-District Collaboration on School Turnarounds Under ESSA
The Council of Chief State School Officers reports many states working more with districts to craft their approaches to helping improve the nation's worst schools.
Education
School Funding Fights Ramp Up as State Legislative Sessions Near Finish
School funding fights in Idaho, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts and Texas have reached fever pitch as legislative sessions enter their final weeks.
Education
Texas House Legislators Abandon Statewide Merit Pay Effort for Teachers
District superintendents called the proposal a violation of local control, while teachers said it would create incentives to teach to the test. The state is attempting to rewrite its school funding formula.
Education
Rhode Island Governor Picks New York Latina, ELL Expert to Serve as Next Commissioner
Angélica Infante-Green will take over as lawmakers debate how to improve schools after test scores show Rhode Island students doing significantly worse than students in neighboring Massachusetts.
Education
Texas Law Now Lets Some Districts Grade Themselves
A law passed in 2017 is now in effect,letting some state-selected districts come up with their own ratings, which the state will then use to measure districts against each other.
Education
In These States, You Can Now See How Much Districts Spent on Each School
A new requirement under the Every Student Succeeds Act could reveal disparities in how districts divvy up their money between schools.
Education
Teacher Activists' Public Enemy Number One: Taxpayers
Widespread anti-tax sentiment has resulted in local and state lawmakers making a series of tax cuts that have resulted in K-12 budget cuts.
Education
Alaska Governor, a Career Educator, Proposes a Slash and Burn K-12 Budget
Gov. Mike Dunleavy, who spent his career as a teacher, principal and superintendent of a rural Alaska district wants to now cut more than a third of the state's K-12 spending.
Budget & Finance
U.S. Spends $23B More on White Districts Than Nonwhite Districts, Report Says
EdBuild, an advocacy group that pushes for equitable spending, says the gap amounts to $23 billion in state and local spending between predominantly white and predominantly nonwhite districts. Some state officials critique its methodology.
Education
Is Your School District Ready for the Next Recession?
Marguerite Roza, a Georgetown school finance professor, provides five tips on how districts could prepare for the next recession, which many economists predict is right around the corner.
Education
New Arizona Chief, a Former Teacher, Seeks to Mend Relationships, Pivot Agenda
Kathy Hoffman, a former special education teacher, was voted in last year on a wave of teacher activism. She's working to mend a hostile relationship between the state's education department and its legislature.
