States Adopt New Strategies on Numeracy and Career Education

Alexandria, VA—Eighteen states adopted or revised a strategic plan for education in 2025–26, with several of the newest plans emphasizing math learning, workforce readiness, and technology use in schools. A new NASBE policy update highlights trends and persistent goals and priorities among 49 state strategic plans, including those of Guam and the District of Columbia.

• Forty-three plans prioritize college and postsecondary readiness.
• Twenty-six plans set goals for academic achievement generally.
• Twenty-seven states address teacher recruitment and retention, and 19 address educator quality and effectiveness.
• Nineteen plans highlight safe, supportive learning environments; 34 prioritize family and community engagement and partnerships.

While 30 states include goals around literacy outcomes, 20 focus on improving numeracy. Of these, 14 are state plans that were adopted or revised in 2025–26. Kentucky, Iowa, North Carolina, and Tennessee, for example, embedded math into their goals or strategies.

All 18 states that revised or adopted their plans in 2025–26 focused on postsecondary readiness, with many, including Missouri, Colorado, and Utah, targeting career and technical education, apprenticeships and industry-recognized credentials, and work- and competency-based learning. Eight states call out students’ readiness for military careers.

While few strategic plans added goals on data literacy, artificial intelligence (AI), or student data privacy, a handful, including Delaware, Tennessee, Connecticut, and Virginia, aim to better support AI use and guidance in schools and in school systems.

Some states also changed up their strategies for strategic planning. The Tennessee state board valued identifying key stakeholders and partners early on and streamlining plan development through committee assignments. “Define who your stakeholders are and have those groups at the table when drafting, overhauling, or updating your strategic plan,” said Ali Reid, chief of strategy on the state board.

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