Stateline Headlines

Conservatives and the Common Core

4 public-college presidents pass $1-million mark in pay

Cutting down student debt

Obama's cigarette tax proposal goes up in smoke

State school systems rethink Common Core standards

After Years of Defeats, Immigrants Win Big State Victories in 2013

Arizona’s immigration crackdown is a fresh memory for many, but now many states are passing immigrant-friendly laws. Find out what is driving the change.

The last refuge from scandal? Professorships

Sequester Will Force Universities to Scale Back Scientific Research

The sequester is already limiting the amount of money universities can offer to graduate students.

Report: Tie State Funding to College Performance

It’s time to overhaul the way states fund higher education, a new report says.

Supreme Court Will Review Michigan’s Affirmative Action Ban

The nation’s highest court will decide whether a Michigan affirmative action ban passed by voters in 2006 can prevent colleges and universities from using race when they decide which students to admit.

State Higher Ed Funding Support Continues Decline

Per-student funding has declined in 48 states over the past five years, with New Hampshire and Florida reducing support the most.

The 5 States Most Vulnerable to Sequestration’s Education Cuts

Automatic federal budget cuts will slash more than $1 billion in K-12 education dollars this year, paring everything from Title I money for low-income students to school improvement initiatives.

Report: State School Funding Unfair

The report, overseen by a broad commission that includes academics, education advocates, state and federal officials and labor leaders, targets five major areas for improvement: school funding, teacher quality, preschool, resources in high-poverty communities and school governance and accountability.

States Struggle To Keep Online Schools Accountable

As concerns grow about performance in the booming online education sector, some states are working to define their oversight role.

Governors Ask Lawmakers to Prevent Future Shootings

The recent mass shootings in Colorado and Connecticut reshaped governors’ legislative agendas this year, and many used their once-a-year legislative addresses to ask lawmakers to take up gun control, mental health treatment and school safety.

College Enrollment Expected to Slip

Maine has struggled to maintain enrollment for years. It could soon have company.

Election Year Brings Big Changes in State Policy

From battles in the legislatures to battles at the polls, Stateline reporters traveled all over the country in 2012 reporting on news from the states.

As Federal Immigration Overhaul Looms, California Schools Slash Adult English Classes

Requiring immigrants to learn English would likely be a key component of any federal immigration overhaul. But widespread cuts to English programs in California show that even that requirement may not be easy to roll out.

U.S. Senate Committee Probes “School-to-Prison Pipeline”

Education, civil rights and public safety leaders discussed ways to dismantle the “school-to-prison pipeline” on Capitol Hill this week.

Call for Reformers and Unions to Get Along

Speaking in Washington, D.C. at the fifth annual Excellence in Action National Summit on Education Reform, John Podesta said that major electoral defeats in Indiana, Idaho and South Dakota showed the folly of painting unions as the enemy.

Voters Approve More State Debt

Voters in New Jersey and Alabama heed their governors’ call and approve bond issues as a way to boost their states’ economies.

Bond Measures Put Some Governors’ Clout on Line

Some governors are urging voters to approve bond issues as way to boost their states’ economies.

Sequestration: How a Spending Stalemate Would Affect the States

There is still time for Congress to avoid the “fiscal cliff” that would force billions of dollars in spending cuts and tax increases at the start of next year. But whatever happens, the states run the risk of being big losers.

Funding for New School Year Down in Half of States

Five years after the recession began, state funding for elementary and high school education remains vastly lower than it was in 2008.

High School Grads Miss Mark

Despite improvements across the board, the majority of high school graduates still aren’t college or career ready, according to a report by ACT, which administers the ACT college entrance test.

Subprime Practices of Student Loan Lenders Might Not Mean Settlement

Banks paid states $25 billion for subprime mortgage lending, but similar private student lending practices might not yield the same result.

How the Recession Changed School Funding

Shifts in who paid the bill for education hurt poorer districts more, experts say.

Mayors Back Parent-Trigger Laws for “Drop-out Factories”

The nation’s mayors have endorsed an approach that gives parents more say in how to run failing schools, an issue that has divided state legislatures. Led by a posse of mostly Democrat mayors, including Los Angeles’ Antonio Villaraigosa, Sacramento’s Kevin Johnson and Newark’s Cory Booker, the city leaders on Satu

Sparks Fly Over States Role in Head Start

The Bush administrations proposal to revamp the popular federal Head Start pre-school programs for poor children is drawing fire from child education experts, but interest from states eyeing the chance to get the federal money and run the programs themselves.

Reports May Soft-Pedal Extent of School Violence

Just how safe are public schools? State and federal reports may not help parents figure that out.

No Child Left Behind Leaves Military-Base Schools Out

Public schools across the nation are chafing under the No Child Left Behind Act, but military base schools in the U.S. with nearly 30,000 children are exempt from the testing and reporting standards of the education law and from the threat of its penalties.

Mixed Prospects for States in Election-Year Congress

Election-year politics and a tight congressional schedule might bring both good and bad news for states. Theres a good chance Washington will fork over more federal dollars for highways. But on the downside, Congress could cost states billions of dollars in taxes, sources on and off Capitol Hill tell Stateline.org.

State Republicans Assail Bush's Education Law

President Bush's No Child Left Behind Act will cost Ohio $1.4 billion more annually than it gets from the federal government for public education, a new study concludes, giving powerful ammunition to critics who say the law is too burdensome. The report is the first to put a price tag on what the broad education measure is costing states and feeds a growing backlash that remarkably is putting state Republicans at odds with their partys leaders in the White House and Congress.

States Split on Ways to Diversify Colleges

Whether race should be considered in college admissions is likely to be a hot-button state issue this year in the wake of a 2003 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that sanctioned affirmative action, with limits.

Governors to Press Their Issues with Federal Officials

This year's National Governors Association meeting in Washington, D.C., will have extra star power with the premier appearance of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R). But the real focus will be on the tried-and-true issues of more federal money and less federal intrusion.

Bush Defuses Some Medicaid, NCLB Complaints

The Bush administration appears to have backed down in disputes with the states over Medicaid and education just as the nations governors converged on Washington, D.C., for the National Governors Associations four-day winter meeting.

Governors Press Bush for More Highway Dollars, Jobs

State governors went to the White House to register concerns about jobs and highway dollars but failed to win offers for any new funds or programs. President Bush promised to set aside election-year politics and work with members of the National Governors Association. But one of his Cabinet members struck less than a conciliatory tone by calling the nations largest teachers union a terrorist organization.

States and Public Colleges Consider New Relationships

The combined wallop of recession-driven budget cuts to higher education, swelling enrollment and escalating tuition fees has prompted state policymakers and educators to begin eyeing changes in states traditional support for higher education. At least five states are considering proposals to begin weaning public universities from state control.

States Stuck with Federal $29 Billion Tab, NCSL Says

The federal government is stiffing states $29 billion this year for an array of programs that Washington dictates but doesnt adequately fund, the National Conference of State Legislatures says in a report released today. Of that total, $9.6 billion comes from the federal No Child Left Behind education law.

U.S. Education Department Set to Ease Teacher Quality Rules for Rural Schools

Teacher qualifications required by No Child Left Behind are being eased as the Bush administration struggles to put down a grassroots rebellion against the controversial federal education law. Despite this and other concessions however, the presidents signature domestic policy remains under heavy fire from Democrats and Republicans alike.

Bullying by School Kids Gets Lawmakers' Attention

It's no longer just parents and principals who are dealing with school bullies. State lawmakers are squaring off against juvenile behaviors such as taunting, teasing and threats once accepted as simply a part of growing up.

Childhood Obesity: States Neglect Physical Education

Despite a national epidemic of childhood obesity, physical education classes are being squeezed out of the school day by trends in modern education. While many legislatures have targeted junk food as a remedy to childhood obesity, few are seeking to pump up inadequate physical education programs. In the second of a two-part series on obesity, Stateline.org explains how gym classes are falling victim to an increased emphasis on testing and academic performance and to the effects of states tight finances.

Courts Referee School Finance Disputes

Courts in half the country are taking on the tasks of state budget writers in public education, forcing legislatures to pump more money into elementary and high schools and deciding how much more money needs to be spent and on which students. State officials across the nation are worried that test scores and standards required under the federal No Child Left Behind Act will fuel even more litigation over schools.

Southern Schools Lead to Divided Society, Report Says

Southern public schools have started to dramatically re-segregate and are failing to provide equitable public education, according to a new report.

Medicaid Trumps Education in State Budgets

After three years of the worst fiscal situation in the last 60 years, states are now witnessing relatively robust revenue growth. While the Midwest is still lagging, the Rockefeller Institute of Government recently reported that state revenues were up 8.4 percent for the first three months of calendar year 2004. There are clearly differences of opinion regarding the sustainability of the current recovery, but there is cautious optimism that it will continue through 2005.

High School Exit Exams Set Low Bar

States are setting a low bar for high school seniors and measuring only middle school knowledge on English and mathematics tests required to graduate, according to a new study. Math tests required for high school diplomas in six states measure what students in other countries are learning in seventh and eighth grades, and English exit exams cover material that most U.S. students should have covered by 10th grade or sooner, the report found.

Colleges Get Flak for Teacher Training

College graduates with education degrees are unprepared for the rigors of teaching, especially in schools with large numbers of poor, minority and special education students, according to a group of governors, state education advisors and experts who met recently to discuss teacher quality. The criticisms of teacher training are not new, but the issue has gained urgency because of the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

Federal Government Quell States' Revolt on No Child Left Behind

A flurry of statehouse rebellions against the No Child Left Behind Act has fizzled out for now, with only a handful of Vermont school districts following through on threats to ignore the new education law. But the firestorm of criticism got the attention of the U.S. Education Department, which responded with several changes in rules enforcing the law. More importantly, at least 40 state agencies are pressing for even more flexibility in rules to reduce the number of schools penalized for poor performance.

Tomorrow's Leaders Examine Today's Issues

While most of their peers enjoy summer vacation, thousands of high school students are getting a taste of political leadership. Boys State and Girls State programs give young people a chance to run a model government and give state officials a glimpse of the next generations interests. This year, student politicos have tackled such issues as education reform, natural resource protection and drunk driving laws.

States Lag in Gearing Up for No Child Left Behind Law

Two years after the No Child Left Behind Act was enacted, all but five states are behind schedule in overhauling their education policies to meet demands of President George W. Bush's signature education initiative, according to a new report. And all states are struggling to meet the laws demands to place highly qualified teachers in every classroom and give teachers high-quality training, said the study from the Education Commission of the States.

Democrats Say Kerry Would Bring Better Times for States

If John Kerry is elected president, Democrats foresee a new partnership between the federal government and states. The U.S. senator from Massachusetts accepted his party's presidential nomination at the Democratic National Convention Thursday night, and he and his supporters said a Kerry White House would pursue new strategies to create jobs, lessen health care costs and boost state economies.

School Spending Is Center Stage in Governors' Races

Candidates are more likely to be fighting over how to pay for public schools than over big new education proposals in this year's 11 governors' races. But the No Child Left Behind Act, the nations most sweeping education reform in 40 years, is being hotly debated in just one gubernatorial campaign, despite mounting pressure on states to meet the federal education requirements.

GOP Touts Bush's Record on State Affairs

Republicans made the case this week for a second term for President George W. Bush, saying his policies already are helping states budget prospects and will help states deal with the ongoing challenges of health care costs and job growth. Bush formally accepted his partys nomination at the Republican National Convention Thursday and sketched out his domestic agenda for a second term.

Bush Suggests New High-School Tests

President George W. Bush wants high school students to take even more tests before graduating. His education proposal, part of his re-election campaign agenda, would impose an extra demand on states already struggling with extra costs and testing required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act. It also would put another strain on high school students already being tested for rigorous courses, college acceptance and graduation.

Governors and President Focus on High School

After years of reform focusing on elementary schools, a growing number of politicians and policy-makers are concluding that high school education is overdue for an overhaul. The National Governors Association is focusing a year-long effort on redesigning high school education, and President George W. Bush has issued campaign pledges to increase high school standards. At the same time, little-known provisions in Bush's No Child Left Behind Act require states and schools to improve their graduation rates.

States Stalled on Higher Education Policy

More high school students are ready for college after they graduate, but not all of them are enrolling in college and earning degrees, according to a report released today. The National Center on Public Policy and Higher Education issued its biennial assessment of state policies toward higher education. The study outlines nationwide trends and also provides report cards for each of the 50 states.

Hot-Button Social Issues Cram State Ballots

Voters this November will tackle controversial issues that many statehouses couldnt resolve, including whether to ban gay marriage, boost the state minimum wage or have a lottery. Californians will have the longest list of ballot questions with 16.

Tuition, Student Loans Increase Again

Tuition at the nations public colleges and universities increased by more than 10 percent on average this year less than last years 14 percent -- while student loans for a second year outpaced grants, according to a national survey. But the average out-of-pocket tuition expense for students at four-year colleges -- $1,300 this year -- is less than a decade ago in inflation-adjusted dollars, according to the non-profit College Board, which administers the SAT exam for college acceptance. The annual survey of more than 4,000 colleges includes state-by-state and regional trends in tuition and state aid for higher education.

Changes to Special Education Law Give States More Leeway

State officials are praising Congress changes to special education law for giving states new flexibility and authority in schooling the nations disabled children, but they remain skeptical of the promise of more federal money. Under the bill, the federal government pledges to ramp up funding for special education over six years and finally cover 40 percent of states added costs of identifying and serving mentally and physically disabled children. But Capitol Hill lawmakers still will have to approve those increases annually.

School Spending on the Rise

New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Massachusetts led the nation in per-pupil public school spending, according to an annual survey by the nations largest teachers union. The report, compiled from state education agencies, found that overall per-pupil spending rose to $8,208 for this school year a 3.6 percent increase from last year.

Costly New Testing Program Certifies Few Teachers

More than a year after it was launched, a privately run teacher certification program backed by $40 million in federal grants is recognized in only five states and has certified just a half dozen teachers. Some education experts call the program a waste of money, and congressional Democrats are pressing for an investigation.

More Schools Pass -- and Fail -- 'No Child' Tests

The number of schools meeting standards of the landmark No Child Left Behind Act increased in at least 32 states, according to a new report. The bad news is that the number of failing schools facing penalties under the federal law has nearly doubled in the past year.

Vexing Issues Await States, New Leaders in 2005

The New Year will bring plenty of new faces in state politics, including seven new governors and more than 1,200 state legislators beginning their freshman year. But while the players have changed, some of the problems are leftovers from 2004, including how to curb soaring health care costs.

Governors Batted Just Under .500 in 2001

The president's annual State of the Union speech gets a lot more publicity, but each year most of the 50 governors lay out their visions for their states in similar orations. Despite what many people think -- that most of this is political puffery -- a Stateline.org study suggests that about half of the governors' proposals become reality.

New Federal School Plan Flawed, Report Says

The Bush administration must give states more flexibility in implementing No Child Left Behind, tone down its rhetoric about that education law, and be ready to make changes if the sweeping education initiative is to succeed, a new report released Friday (1/3) says.

States Get 'C' on Education Report Card

States manage only a C average in their efforts to meet new federal education reform standards, improve teacher quality and insure that students in poor schools get as much funding as those in richer schools, a new report card released Tuesday (1/7) by Education Week shows.

States Face Dearth of Qualified Teachers

States have a long way to go to ensure every classroom has a highly qualified teacher as new federal education rules require, a new report by Education Week says.

Fiscal Policy Split Pits Bush vs. States

On the same day President George W. Bush proposed federal tax cuts to boost economic growth, Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne unveiled a plan to raise state taxes as a "last resort" to preserve basic services, such as education and healthcare. It was a stark illustration of the different fiscal and political realities at the federal and state level.

States Scramble to Meet Key Education Deadline

Forty-three states are rushing headlong toward the Jan. 31 deadline for submitting to the U.S. Department of Education plans that lay out how their schools will meet strict new federal education standards. So far, only seven states have submitted plans.

States Struggle with New Education Mandates

All the states appear to be at least partially on track to have new reading and math tests in place by 2005-06, but most states are struggling to make sure all classrooms will have qualified teachers by then, according to a database unveiled Jan. 29 that monitors states progress in meeting new federal requirements.

Winners and Losers in State Budgets

In a sign of just how bleak state fiscal prospects have become, some analysts consider K-12 education a winner in the state budget game despite the fact that fourteen states have already cut spending in the sector this year.

Charter School Debates on Tap in '03

The debate over whether charter schools are viable alternatives to public schools or mistakes that take money away from traditional schools is percolating in handful of states, thanks, in part, to a roster of new charter-friendly governors and lawmakers.

Funding, Vouchers to Dominate Special Education Debate

Congress will consider forking over an additional $1 billion to the states when lawmakers overhaul education programs for children with mental and physical disabilities this year. But its a good bet states will still want more.

Governors Set Winter Meeting

As most states wrestle to close mounting budget deficits, their governors will gather in Washington, D.C., this weekend for meetings focusing on implementing new federal education legislation and reforming Medicaid to shift the burden of spiraling healthcare costs.

State Legislative Leaders Lobby Congress

State legislative leaders will take a break this week from the fierce budget battles being waged in many of their states to urge Congressional power-brokers and members of the Bush administration to help alleviate state fiscal woes by fully funding federal mandates for education and homeland security.

Legislators Weighing School Soda Bans

State lawmakers throughout the country are introducing legislation to ban soda from school vending machines to help curb the growing rate of childhood obesity. But at a time when cash-strapped states are cutting education budgets, opponents of the bans say schools need the soda revenue more than ever.

New York First in School Spending

When it comes to school spending, New York leads all other states, according to a Census Bureau report on public education.

Human Impact of States' Budget Cuts

Cassandra Skyers used to help needy Connecticut families get health care and food stamps. But by months end, the Bloomfield, Conn., woman fears she herself may be standing in line to see if she qualifies for some of the same state aid she used to distribute.

Education Feels States Financial Squeeze

Education consistently ranks as a top priority for American voters, but that hasnt spared it from the chopping block as state lawmakers struggle to balance their budgets. At least 20 states have targeted this crown jewel of public services, a sure sign of just how bad the states fiscal crunch has become.

Lawmakers Balk at Cost of Federal Education Law

President George W. Bushs sweeping federal education program is creating sticker shock in statehouses across the country at a time when states are grappling with the worst budget shortfalls in decades. Lawmakers in New Hampshire and Hawaii are considering measures that would let their states walk away from footing the bill for the program Bush pushed through Congress, which is commonly known as No Child Left Behind.

States Making Deep Budget Cuts, New Report Shows

A long hoped-for recovery in state fiscal prospects is nowhere in sight, and lawmakers are making deep cuts in education and healthcare for the poor, a report released Thursday by the National Conference of State Legislatures says. Other areas getting hit include prisons, state employee benefits and wages, and environmental programs.

GAO Adds Fuel to Education Funding Debate

A new report hands both sides fresh ammunition in the debate over whether Congress is giving states enough money to test students, as required under the sweeping Bush administration education program, No Child Left Behind.

States Get Leeway to Meet Education Law

The Bush administration has allowed the states some wiggle room to meet the sweeping federal No Child Left Behind education requirements, including tactics that may help schools avoid being dubbed failing, education officials said.

Reading-Test Scores Remain Mixed

The nations fourth-graders have improved their reading skills since 1998, but test scores for eighth-graders remained flat and 12th-graders declined over that same period, according to a new report released today.

Higher-Education Groups Welcome High-Court Ruling

Organizations representing state colleges and universities praised the U.S. Supreme Court for upholding use of affirmative action in college admissions. These decisions enable our institutions to maintain their strong commitment to be welcoming places to students of all races and walks of life," leaders of 29 higher education organizations said in a statement.

New England States Lead Nation in Writing Scores

New England states led the country in posting higher writing scores for fourth- and eighth-graders, according to a new federal report released July 10 that serves as a benchmark for how well states are improving their students writing.

States Struggle to Define Highly Qualified Teachers

More than a year-and-a-half after No Child Left Behind became law, state education officials still see a big unchecked item on their To Do list: pin down the definition of a highly qualified teacher. The clock is ticking.

Teacher Certification Plans Dodge Budget Cuts

Most states have been able to stave off deep budget cuts to programs that reward teachers who complete National Board Certification, which is regarded as a way to identify qualified and accomplished teachers.

States to Get Help On Teacher Mandates

Teams of federal education experts will visit all 50 states starting later this summer to make sure theyre on track to meet a new requirement that all classrooms have highly qualified teachers by 2005-2006.

States May Lack Expertise to Run Head Start

Fewer than eight states are equipped to take over the federal Head Start preschool program for poor children in their states, an idea that Congress is seriously considering, early childhood education experts warn.

Tuition Spikes While Financial Aid Falters

The state budget squeeze is putting many students in a double-vise: their tuition is climbing while financial aid is shrinking.

High School Exit Exams Challenge States

States are forging ahead with high school exit exams despite opposition from irate parents, anxious students and critics who complain the tests tend to flunk poor, minority and disabled students more than whites, a new report said today.

Governors Gather in Indianapolis for Annual Meeting

Officially, education, health care and the economy top the agenda of the annual summer meeting of the National Governors Association (NGA), which this year takes place in Indianapolis. But the California recall election is likely to be the prime topic of discussion.

Education Funding Draws New Lawsuits, Ballot Initiatives

A new chapter in school funding is opening across the country, as the issue increasingly becomes a topic for the ballot box as well as the courthouse.

Schools Face Uncertain Budgets

Schools in Oregon are asking parents to pitch in with crayons and toilet paper while Pennsylvania school districts mull loans to cover expenses for the next month. These are the more extreme cases, but leaner budgets are the rule as schools throughout the country reopen.

States Passing Federal Tutoring Test

Most states are meeting a new federal requirement that faltering schools offer students free tutoring and other extra help in learning, a top U.S. Department of Education official said. I dont think any of the states are behind in terms of implementation, Nina S. Rees, deputy under secretary for innovation and improvement at the U.S. Department of Education, told Stateline.org in an interview.

States Put the Brakes on Prepaid Tuition Plans

Parents may be out of luck if they want to lock in state college tuition rates. Many of the 20 states that offer pre-paid tuition plans have either stopped taking new accounts or hiked the amount of money families must put into the plans.

Poll: Education Law Needs More Federal Money

Many Americans believe the federal government, not the states, should cough up more money to cover the costs of implementing the new education law commonly known as No Child Left Behind, a new national poll released Feb. 24 shows. The survey, conducted by a Washington, D.C., firm with ties to the Democratic Party, provides ammunition for Democratic governors clamoring for more federal funds to pay for new federal testing and reporting requirements.

States Weigh Tuition Breaks for Illegal Immigrants

State legislation plays an important role in determining who goes to college - and at what price. For the tens of thousands of undocumented students living in the United States, the equation is complex.

'No Child' Law Could Spawn State Lawsuits

States are likely to face more lawsuits as a result of the Bush administrations sweeping No Child Left Behind education law, the National Conference of State Legislatures said in a memo released July 9.