State Of The State Addresses 2025 Education Priorities Take Center

Leo Migdal

-Dec 3, 2025, 5:22 AM

state of the state addresses 2025 education priorities take center

Education Commission of the States is the trusted source for comprehensive knowledge and unbiased resources on education policy issues ranging from early learning through postsecondary education. Subscribe to our publications and stay informed. Need more information? Contact one of our policy experts. In a critical year for state education policy, State of the State addresses offer time for new and incumbent governors to outline policy priorities and elevate successes. For the past 20 years, we’ve tracked, analyzed and identified education policy trends in governors’ State of the State addresses to help you understand trending education issues across states.

This year’s Special Report includes 49 addresses and a detailed look at the top seven trends we found across state education-related proposals. We’ve also included an extra emerging trend that 17 governors mentioned in their address this year. In advance of this year’s legislative sessions, Governors set out their priorities in their State of the State addresses. As the legislative sessions draw to a close nationwide, we look back at some of the priorities Governor’s outlined as a way to set expectations for implementation and education policy priorities over the next... Last year’s legislative sessions saw the passage of a number of education initiatives. As a result, this year’s State of the State addresses included several victory laps from governors touting their new education efforts as well as announcements of new, smaller programs or revisions intended to support...

Governors also spent time in their State of the State message to talk about their budget priorities, since many states adopted a biennial budget this year. Here are five summaries of different approaches and policy proposals from State of the State addresses. Governor Kotek proposed a $600 million increase in a financial calculation known as the “current service level” (CSL), a baseline measure that lawmakers use to set the education budget. In addition, she proposed more than $205 million to help students recover from the pandemic: $127 million for early literacy and $78.5 million for summer learning. At the same time, the Governor made it clear that the new money would be part of a plan to raise student learning. She proposed “exploring a single, statewide, publicly accessible student information system.” It would be accompanied by administrative actions to “ensure that the Oregon Department of Education holds up its end of the bargain on...

When a district’s numbers show failure for their students, there will be help and attention – not voluntarily requested, but required, direct assistance to make sure all resources are pointed toward better student outcomes.” As of April 21, 2025, 45 governors have taken the stage for their official State of the State address (SOTS). These speeches are a moment for governors to outline key policy priorities for the year ahead, as well as celebrate successes from 2024. In W/A Research’s analysis of this year’s SOTS speeches, there are six priorities consistently mentioned in education for 2025: (1) school funding and formula reform, (2) student engagement and cell phone bans, (3) work-based... Thus far, 70% (31) of governors outlined a specific policy action related to school funding, making it the leading education-related topic in State of the States. Governors in PA, MD, IN, MT, NV, and WI celebrated or proposed historic funding increases in their public K-12 systems, with many other governors calling for increased funding for at-risk students and teachers.

A focus on student wellbeing and engagement was evident this year, with phone bans or student mental health mentioned in a majority of speeches. 16 governors mentioned student mental health, primarily in the context of social media use, with Gov. Ivey (AL), Gov. Huckabee (AR), Gov. Gianforte (MT), and Gov. Pillen (NE) proposing specific legislation to limit social media usage and/or increase social media safety.

Phone bans were another popular topic for governors, with 12 governors across blue and red states considering statewide legislation that encourages phone bans in districts. Workforce preparedness, specifically in terms of CTE, was frequently raised as a priority in this year’s State of the State addresses. Gov. Gianforte’s (MT) speech is a great example of how state leadership is approaching CTE legislation in 2025 – he announced his dedication to preparing high school students for the workforce by providing relevant and... 39% of governors mentioned CTE/Apprenticeships, and 36% of governors mentioned career readiness more broadly. As governors delivered their 2025 State of the State addresses, they outlined a range of strategies to improve their schools, from increasing K-12 funding and expanding educational choice to investing in early childhood programs...

Yet few focused directly on arguably the most pressing issue: declining student achievement. FutureEd analyzed speeches from 41 governors to identify states’ education agendas for the coming year, highlighting common themes, bipartisan commitments and partisan divides. Across party lines, governors remained committed to investing in public education, with many proposing increased K-12 funding and efforts to modernize school finance formulas to better support high-need students. Alongside these general financial commitments, governors prioritized strengthening the teaching profession, addressing youth mental health, restricting cellphone use and expanding career pathways for high schoolers. Still, few governors proposed new steps to directly improve student learning. Some emphasized efforts to raise academic standards and strengthen accountability, topics absent in recent years.

But this year’s speeches largely sidelined new curriculum initiatives, perhaps because many states have enacted reforms in that area — particularly in literacy — in recent years. Mentions of academic acceleration programs that were widely supported during the pandemic but now face an uncertain future as federal ESSER funds expire were also rare. These include high-dosage tutoring, afterschool and summer enrichment. Some governors argued that their school choice initiatives would improve student outcomes. School choice remained a key point of division, with several Republican governors advocating for more private options that Democrats opposed. Ideological divides also resurfaced on race and gender — topics largely absent from speeches in recent years — as a few Republicans called for banning diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, restricting transgender participation...

Here is a summary of the major education proposals in the governors’ addresses (click on each state in the interactive maps below): As Governors across the country have taken the podium to deliver their 2025 State of the State addresses, they have used this platform to spotlight one of their largest and most consequential budget line... They have celebrated key achievements in education, introduced new education initiatives, and outlined bold visions for the future of education in their states. This is a particularly exciting year for education. NGA Chair Colorado Governor Jared Polis has launched his Let’s Get Ready!: Educating All Americans for Success Chair’s Initiative, empowering Governors to reimagine their education systems and elevate reforms that help students thrive in... Per Governor Polis’ own State of the State address:

“This year, I have the honor of serving as Chair of the bipartisan National Governors Association. My Chair’s Initiative, Let’s Get Ready: Educating All Americans for Success, is all about preparing students for real life and our economy for real success. We’re looking at how we can best ensure learners develop the skills and talents they need to succeed in today and tomorrow’s job market.” As of mid-March, at least 49 Governors have delivered State of the State addresses. Examining these speeches offers valuable insights into the trends that are shaping education in the U.S. today.

That is why for the past six years, the National Governors Association (NGA) and the Education Commission of the States (ECS) have partnered to publish a report on the education issues raised in Governors’... Across this year’s speeches, we have pinpointed seven major education policy trends that are driving Governors’ agendas: K–12 funding, workforce development and career and technical education, teacher workforce, academic achievement, school choice, early care... We have also identified cell phones in schools as an emerging trend. This commentary features highlights from Governors’ State of the State and other state addresses that showcase each of these trends. As state legislative sessions get underway across the country, governors have outlined their K-12 education priorities in State of the State addresses, inaugural speeches and budget proposals. Their remarks provide critical insights into the policies likely to shape the future of education in 2025.

This post summarizes and organizes governors’ student-centered K-12 education policy priorities, including literacy, math, funding, school accountability, public and private school choice, strengthening the teacher pipeline, college and career pathways and distraction-free school policies. Here’s a breakdown of the education policy priorities governors are focused on this year. Early literacy remains a top priority across multiple states, with governors recognizing the importance of ensuring students are proficient in reading by the third grade. With growing bipartisan support for evidence-based reading policies, states are likely to continue prioritizing reforms that improve reading outcomes. At a time when education is closer than ever to being handed over for state-by-state control, governors nationwide are making promises to ensure the expansion of K12 funding and school choice. However, student achievement is getting seeing less attention from state leaders.

Forty-one state governors in their 2025 State of the State addresses made commitments to improving K12 education in their states, a new analysis from FutureEd confirms. Many of their speeches included: Here’s a brief look at some of the most common issues addressed by state leaders and their proposed solutions. Concerns about students’ well-being as it relates to social media and cell phone use remain a top priority for state leaders. Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, for instance, said during her address, “Suicide rates among teens have tripled, self-harm among girls has risen by nearly 200%, and depression among teenagers has increased by 150%.

The culprit is clear: unrestricted access to phones and social media.” She along with at least a dozen other state governors have proposed cell phone bans in schools, as well as stricter internet safety measures.

State Of The State Addresses 2025 Education Priorities Take Center

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