Summer recess is a good time to take stock in what has happened at statehouses in the respective states, examine how it aligns to organizational or network priorities, and plan forward for when legislatures reconvene.
In 2024, several key policy and funding trends have emerged in K-12 education across state legislatures in the United States. These trends reflect ongoing efforts to address learning gaps exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, remove barriers to learning, improve teacher recruitment and retention, expand school choice options, and adapt to new technological challenges including the effects of social media and the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI).
Key Trends
The following policy and funding trends emerged in the first half of 2024:
- High-Quality Reading and Math Instruction: Many states are continuing to focus on improving early literacy and math skills. This includes adopting policies grounded in the science of reading and implementing comprehensive early literacy programs. For example, states like Florida, Indiana, Ohio, and Texas have banned the three-cueing method in favor of evidence-based reading instruction.
- Workforce Development and Career and Technical Education (CTE): There is a significant push to align K-12 education with workforce needs. States are investing in career and technical education programs to prepare students for high-demand jobs. For instance, Indiana's Career Scholarship Accounts provide high school students with funds for workforce training.
- Teacher Workforce: Addressing teacher shortages remains a priority. States are implementing measures to attract and retain teachers, such as offering enhanced benefits, licensure changes, and professional development opportunities.
- School Choice: School choice policies, including the expansion of Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) and voucher programs, continue to gain traction. These policies aim to provide families with more educational options and have been a significant focus in states like Arizona, Ohio and Florida. The impact of these policies on state budgets will be important to monitor.
- Mental Health and Well-being: There is an increasing emphasis on student mental health, with states investing in mental health services and supports within schools. This includes funding for counselors and mental health programs to address the growing needs of students. On the fiscal side, it also includes efforts to include Medicaid in schools for eligible students impacted by mental health issues but not on IEPs.
- Educational Technology and AI: The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in education is a growing area of interest. Legislatures are exploring policies to support AI literacy and address the challenges posed by new technologies like ChatGPT.
- Funding Increases: Many states are increasing funding for K-12 education to support various initiatives, including special education, student transportation, and school meals. For example, Georgia and Michigan have made significant investments in their K-12 education budgets. As fiscal conditions begin to soften and states tighten their belts this will be an important issue to monitor in the next sessions, particularly as state governments and schools near the federal fiscal cliff and the expiration of ESSER/ARPA era stimulus funding.
Common Themes
Several common themes emerge from these trends:
- Focus on Evidence-Based Practices: There is a strong emphasis on adopting evidence-based instructional methods, particularly in reading and math.
- Addressing Workforce Needs: Aligning education with workforce demands is a priority, reflected in the expansion of CTE programs and workforce development initiatives.
- Support for Teachers: Efforts to improve teacher recruitment and retention are widespread, with states offering various incentives and professional development opportunities.
- Expanding Educational Options: School choice remains a contentious but prominent issue, with many states expanding voucher programs and ESAs.
- Mental Health Prioritization: The mental well-being of students is a critical focus, with increased funding and support for mental health services in schools.
- Technological Adaptation: States are grappling with the implications of new technologies and are seeking to integrate AI literacy into the curriculum.
Issues to Monitor in 2024-2025
Given the trends and themes outlined above, as state legislatures reconvene in 2024-2025, several issues will be critical to monitor:
- Implementation of AI Policies: How states incorporate AI literacy into their education systems and address the challenges posed by AI in the classroom. This includes counter balancing efforts to minimize the effects of technology (cell phone bans and social media restrictions), while simultaneously preparing students on the acceptable use of emerging, generative technologies like AI.
- Effectiveness of Early Literacy Programs: The impact of new early literacy policies on student outcomes and whether states expand these initiatives. Math continues to be a challenge for many states, slower to rebound than literacy, yet policymakers grapple with how many initiatives schools and districts can wrestle with at one time.
- Teacher Workforce Solutions: The success of measures aimed at addressing teacher shortages and improving teacher retention. This may include examinations of what is working, what is not and to what degree can new instructional delivery models assist including teletherapy, increased use of itinerant staff, and use of artificial intelligence.
- Expansion of School Choice: The continued debate over school choice policies and their impact on public education funding and equity. Monitoring funding impact as well as equity and quality concerns will continue to be at the heart of these debates.
- Mental Health Initiatives: The effectiveness of increased funding and support for student mental health services. This will likely include considerations for expanded school-based Medicaid services.
- Funding and Resource Allocation: How states manage and allocate increased funding for K-12 education, particularly in areas like special education and student support services. This will be of critical importance as states wrestle with the federal funding cliff and the ongoing urge to cut taxes to spur economic growth and appeal to constituent concerns about the cost of living and related issues.
State legislatures will need to navigate these complex issues to ensure that educational policies effectively address the needs of students, teachers, and communities in the coming years.
A common axiom states, “legislatures react, they seldom lead.” And, what happens in one state often finds its way into policy discussions in other states. In this context, educational service agencies should consider how the consortia-based, shared services model inherent in their design can contribute to the effective (and efficient) delivery of high-quality education and educational support services in the areas highlighted above and other emerging policy and funding concerns voiced by their client districts and other stakeholders.
To monitor what is happening across state government explore the following resources:
