State Education Policy Tracking Education Commission Of The States

Leo Migdal

-Dec 3, 2025, 4:42 AM

state education policy tracking education commission of the states

If you have questions or comments, please contact Erin Whinnery. Sign up for our newsletters or blog to stay up to date on education policy news. Copyright 2025 / Education Commission of the States. All rights reserved. The State Education Policy Tracking tool from the Education Commission of the States provides a searchable database of enacted and vetoed K–12 education legislation across all 50 states, with records extending back to 1996. Users can filter by year, state, or policy area to identify how different legislatures have addressed issues such as accountability, assessment, finance, governance, and teacher workforce policy.

The tool also offers the ability to track recent sessions in near real time, while allowing for longitudinal comparisons that show how policies evolve over decades. For educator preparation programs, this resource makes it possible to situate local and institutional practices within broader state policy environments. Faculty and leaders can examine how certification standards, licensure pathways, teacher recruitment strategies, and funding mechanisms are being shaped by legislative action, and use these insights to anticipate and respond to shifts that affect... The United States has no single national education system. Instead, 50 distinct state systems operate with different priorities, funding mechanisms, and success measures. This arrangement stems from the U.S.

Constitution, which grants states primary authority over public education. The Education Commission of the States was formed in 1965 to help states navigate their responsibilities and serve as a strategic consortium for policymakers. Its creation responded to growing federal influence, strengthening state capacity to lead on education policy. For years, the No Child Left Behind Act imposed prescriptive federal mandates requiring states to meet nationally defined accountability standards. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in 2015 marked a shift, returning substantial authority to states. ESSA dismantled many rigid requirements and let state leaders design their own systems for measuring school performance, identifying struggling schools, and setting educational goals.

This renewed state control amplified existing differences. States now diverge on nearly every major policy aspect. They use vastly different funding models, creating wide resource disparities. They’ve built unique accountability systems reflecting specific values, measuring everything from college readiness to chronic absenteeism. States take widely varied approaches to academic standards, school choice, teacher workforce policies, and what is taught in the classroom. School finance methods determine resources available to students and reflect fundamental decisions about equity and local control.

Investment in a child’s education varies dramatically by zip code. As many MTEP programs struggle to cope with the changing policy landscape, keeping track of education policies can prove challenging. The Education Commission of the States has released a comprehensive database tracking state legislation that may impact education in some way. You can easily filter the list by your state, by the issue addressed, and/or by the status of the legislation. For example, over 20 states have legislation addressing "Certification and Licensure," and eight have legislation addressing "STEM subjects." Each includes a list to the state’s website, where you can view the current status of... In addition, you can also search through a list of legislation that was passed since 1986.

So, whether you want to keep up with what is happening in your state, survey what is going on across the nation, or review legislation that you have just heard about, this dataset can... With the ever-changing political landscape, it’s important our voices, the voices of the teachers we prepare and the students they impact, are elevated and heard. The ideas presented each month are only suggestions and do not represent an endorsement of one organization, app, or tool over another. Have a favorite way you advocate? Please send additional suggestions for this list to mleadabrand2@unl.edu. This site, which draws primarily on data collected by organizations other than NCES, compiles and disseminates data on state-level elementary and secondary education reform efforts in the eight topics indicated below.

Writing for EdNote, Erin Whinnery recently shared four new education policy tools. Excerpts from the piece appear below: How can education leaders better support students, families and teachers in these unprecedented times? What needs can be met with policy changes? Education Commission of the States supports education leaders with four unmatched state policy resources. The State Education Policy Tracking database is a one-of-a-kind, comprehensive resource for education leaders looking for unique policy approaches to issues in their state.

This interactive map includes enacted and vetoed legislation from 2019-22. ECS currently tracks 42 broad education policy issues, spanning from early learning to workforce development. In 2021, they tracked over 10,000 pieces of legislation, and over 1,700 bills were enacted or vetoed! In addition to providing summary and analysis on thousands of pieces of legislation, the State Education Policy Tracking database is useful for spotting the latest policy trends. Using data from the 2021 policy tracking, there was a 245% increase in the number of enacted and vetoed bills related to postsecondary workforce development, as compared to 2019. State legislation continues to keep pace with virtual and online learning demands by increasing broadband access, supporting virtual classrooms and reimagining school accountability to account for virtual instruction.

ECS also observed a 158% increase in the number of enacted and vetoed student health bills between 2019 and 2021. Many of these bills focused on supporting student’s physical safety in classrooms, as well as their mental health and well-being. Use the new instructional video below to learn how to navigate the tool for your needs. Introducing Gov. Mark Gordon's 2025-27 Chair’s Initiative! Check out the six policy areas guiding our work.

Search for enacted and vetoed education bills across the country. Subscribe to our newsletters to receive our latest education policy resources, tracking and events right in your inbox. State leaders require clear, actionable information to guide decisions that advance economic mobility for all. The Education-to-Workforce Indicators (E-W) Framework developed by the Gates Foundation and Mathematica can help leaders and communities assess their data systems, identify gaps and opportunities in data collection, and improve their ability to answer... Education Commission of the States Share The Education Commission of the States (ECS) was created by an interstate compact in 1965 to strengthen the capacity of the states as a counterbalance to the rapidly... With start-up grants from the Carnegie Corporation and the Ford Foundation, Governor Terry Sanford of North Carolina cofounded the ECS and convened its first meeting in Chicago in 1966, when 36 states had formally...

By 2018, 47 current and former governors served as the chair of the ECS. To ensure bipartisanship, the chair’s position alternates between Republicans and Democrats and the vice chair’s position is held by a state legislator. Recognizing the states’ constitutional authority in education, the ECS serves as a strategic consortium of state policy stakeholders in education. It is neither a lobbying organization nor an entity that is narrowly defined in terms of a particular political or policy office (such as the U.S. Conference of the Mayors). It encompasses broad representation across a wide spectrum of educational interests at the state level.

In 1995, for example, Republican Governor Tommy Thompson (Wisconsin) was elected to chair both the ECS and the National Governors’ Association, thereby strengthening the ties between the two organizations. In 2002, the ECS sided with the National Board for Professional Standards following the release of a critical study on the effectiveness of the national certification standards. In addition to the elected political representatives, the ECS addresses the needs of the K–12 community and the higher education, business, and civic sectors. The ECS’s 50-state policy tracking databases, its annual policy forums, and its research clearinghouse and dissemination functions have provided technical assistance and facilitated interstate and intrastate exchanges of ideas on reform issues. Policy forums in the early 2010s, for example, featured partisan differences over the Common Core State Standards Initiatives. This network of broad-based stakeholders has enabled the ECS to adapt to the changing policy environment over the last four decades.

During the 1970s and the 1980s, when state governments faced numerous constitutional challenges on funding equity, the ECS conducted extensive studies on funding reform issues. Although facing financial challenges with growing competition in the mid 2000s, ECS was able to continue to maintain its mission as “an honest broker” among state stakeholders. During the era of No Child Left Behind Act between 2002 and 2016, the ECS tracked progress made by every state in meeting the federal accountability standards. ECS’s task forces also challenged the educational establishment to create a system of chartering schools and to reassess teacher certification standards. As Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 enhances the state role, ECS sharpens its efforts on state capacity building. Its National Center for Learning and Civic Engagement aims to broaden state standards to include civic learning.

In a 2017 report, ECS addressed issues of teacher licensure transfer and reciprocity across states. Clearly, ECS will continue to mobilize its policy resources and partners to strengthen the state role in education. SEE ALSO: Education; Interstate Compacts

State Education Policy Tracking Education Commission Of The States

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