In 2019-20, over 4.6 million students attended private school. Many are eligible for equitable services--such as tutoring--under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). These federally funded services provided by school districts offer critical learning supports at private schools that opt to have their students receive them. ESEA…

Each year, state legislators craft new policies that drive data use across their states, and as part of a comprehensive review of state education data legislation, the Data Quality Campaign (DQC) keeps track. In 2022, state legislators introduced 131 bills in 35 states--42 of which became law in 17 states-- that would govern the use of data along…

This report emphasizes the importance of state actions in improving educational opportunities for historically marginalized students, particularly those with disabilities. It highlights the existing achievement gaps and challenges faced by students with disabilities, especially those from minority groups. The report suggests that states have a…

Beginning in 2011, the Department of Education (Education) used its statutory authority to invite states to apply for waivers from certain provisions in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) through its Flexibility initiative. To receive Flexibility waivers, states had to agree to meet other requirements related to college- and…

When the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was reauthorized in 2004, it included provisions to reduce administrative and paperwork requirements to address concerns about burden. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) was asked to review federal efforts to reduce burden related to meeting IDEA requirements for educating…

This publication provides an overview of the current federal opportunities to help states advance their data-related activities. Although not exhaustive, this list provides a starting point for federal policymakers to support states' work in this area.

Enacted in 2014, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) brought numerous changes to existing federal employment and training programs, including requiring the Department of Labor (DOL) and the Department of Education (Education) to implement a common performance accountability system across the six WIOA-designated core programs. WIOA…

Increased attention to proposed federal early childhood education (ECE) legislation has sparked a debate on what the future holds for state-funded ECE systems. This brief explores how the goal of universal preschool is being shaped by the federal agenda and examines state programs in various stages of development. President Obama's Preschool for…

During the 2010, 2011, and 2012 legislative sessions, a combination of federal policy incentives and newly elected governors and legislative majorities in many states following the 2010 elections sparked a wave of legislation addressing teacher effectiveness. More than 20 states passed legislation designed to address educator effectiveness by…

Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act offers an opportunity to invest in programs with the greatest educational and economic benefits. Members of Congress should look to states for flexible, innovative, bipartisan strategies to gradually grow pre-k programs. This brief highlights some of the most promising state efforts to…

In response to a request by Congressman Claude Pepper, the General Accounting Office (GAO) conducted a study to examine the private long-term care insurance market. The GAO analyzed the premiums, benefits, and limitations of 33 policies offered by 25 insurers in 1986. The GAO assessed the potential for abuse in this market by surveying state…

This report identifies state initiatives, policies, and programs in the area of adult learning undertaken in 10 selected states during 1979 and 1980. The methodology used to compute the state data is described. Profiles are then provided for the surveyed states: Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Nebraska, New York, Rhode Island, South Carolina,…

This document is the text of a Congressional hearing on the plight of missing children. Chairman Paula Hawkins' opening remarks discuss the provisions of the Missing Children Act of 1982 and its success, the Missing Children's Assistance Act of 1984 authorizing the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and the continuing need to…

This history of the development of the Virginia Community College System, with its 23 community colleges and central office, explores how a broadened base of higher education was accomplished through an evolutionary process and shows that certain people in the state advocated some sort of broadening long before the actual development of the…

The long-term health of each state's economy rests on the state's ability to educate and eventually employ citizens who contribute to its economy by filling jobs in a variety of sectors. With the globalization of the economy and shifts in supply and demand for a wide variety of occupations, students in public schools need effective teachers and…