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State Education Standard


May 2024 — Volume 24, No. 2

Preschool for All

The state role in early education keeps growing. This Standard details the ways that states have expanded access to quality preschool, the research that supports these efforts, and the growing pains these initiatives are likely to experience.

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Featured Articles from this Issue

This is a nostalgic image of a young boy playing with an antique toy SUV on a wood floor.

Opportunities and Challenges for Preschool Expansion

By Allison Friedman-Krauss and Steven Barnett

As states adopt a bigger role in preschool, state leaders need to be ready to steer through tough questions of quality, access, funding, and continuous improvement.



Portrait of a happy multi-ethnic group of preschool students in their classroom. The cute children are sitting in a line with their arms around each other. The kids are laughing and smiling directly at the camera.

Universal Pre-K in Tulsa: A Surprising Success

By William Gormley

Longitudinal studies of Tulsa’s universal pre-K program reveal benefits to students that persist as they move through elementary and secondary school and on to college.



Business people sitting on books with text reading: State Education Standard, Curriculum That Counts, and January 2024. Image credit: iStock
January 2024 — Volume 24, No. 1

Curriculum That Counts

Authors in this issue of the Standard draw lessons from a spectrum of state policies that are being used to increase the adoption of high-quality curriculum.


September 2023 — Volume 23, No. 3

Engaging All Students

Authors explore the reasons why students increasingly feel uninspired and disengaged at school and outline steps state leaders can take to help schools and districts increase students’ engagement and connectedness.


May 2023 — Volume 23, No. 2

High Schools That Matter

This issue of The Standard reimagines the high school experience, illuminating the data, policy reforms, and engagement with students, families, and educators that must align to make redesign possible.


January 2023 — Volume 23, No. 1

Leading and Governing

Is there another domestic policy space more complicated than state education governance? In the face of the 50-plus ways of constructing state systems of public education in this country, the authors in this issue of The Standard attempt to tease out what constitutes strong leadership and effective governance.


September 2022 — Volume 22, No. 3

Equipping Teachers

Teacher recruitment, preparation, and retention tops the priorities among state board members for better information to guide policymaking.


May 2022 — Volume 22, No. 2

Advancing Math and Science Instruction

Advancing math and science education entails doing something different so it is possible for all students to achieve mastery.


January 2022 — Volume 22, No. 1

Supporting Learning for Students with Disabilities

Authors in this issue of the Standard identify challenges in policy, debunk myths, and highlight approaches and evidence-based practices for serving students with disabilities effectively.


September 2021 — Volume 21, No. 3

The Role of Schools in Racial Justice

Authors in this issue argue schools can progress toward educational equity only if, at every challenge, state leaders are willing to make decisions that put the needs of our most vulnerable students first.