The only organization dedicated solely to helping state boards advance equity and excellence in public education.

State Education Standard


May 2026Volume 26, No. 2

Reimagining the Roles of Teachers and Leaders

Amid national discussions of ways to recruit and keep teachers and leaders in a demanding profession, experts highlight the many ways states are restructuring staffing and instruction to make teaching more manageable and rewarding.

View Full Issue


Featured Articles from this Issue

Diverse adults gather around map.

A State Leader’s Guide to Strategic School Staffing

By John Luczak, Allison Pennington and Sarah Begeman

Redesigning teacher roles can solve several problems confronting schools at once.



Diverse adults join hands in center of a circle

Half as Likely to Leave: What Team-Based Staffing Means for Teacher Retention

By R. Lennon Audrain and Richard Ingersoll

By treating retention as a challenge of system and organizational design, state boards can encourage more teachers to stay in the profession.



January 2026Volume 26, No. 1

Demonstrating Skills of Value

State education leaders are focused on ensuring students graduate ready for life after high school—but how do students know they’re building valuable, transferable skills, and how will employers and colleges recognize them?


September 2025Volume 25, No. 4

Civic-Ready Students

More and better civics will inspire students to become better citizens who will be equipped to participate, preserve, and defend America’s democracy and engage in reasoned, respectful discourse.


Colorful ribbons flowing in the air with a blurry natural landscape behind it. Title reads,
July 2025Special Issue: Volume 25, No. 3

The Educators Students Deserve: Four State Policy Approaches

State education leaders have long prioritized efforts to recruit and retain effective teachers. Yet persistent challenges, including high turnover rates and teacher shortages in key subject areas, continue to strain the educator workforce.


May 2025Volume 25, No. 2

Transitions

State policymakers have a role in ensuring that schools work together to prepare students to transition well.


January 2025Volume 25, No. 1

Connecting Schools and Communities

Authors in this issue of the Standard suggest myriad ways in which communities can be force multipliers for ensuring that all children are engaged in learning and prepared to thrive as adults.


September 2024Volume 24, No. 3

Technology in Education

Savvy state leaders will set their sights on ways to broaden access to technology’s benefits, solve problems confronting educators, and protect students against the risks of misuse.


May 2024Volume 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.


Business people sitting on books with text reading: State Education Standard, Curriculum That Counts, and January 2024. Image credit: iStock
January 2024Volume 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.