Governors

Gov. Brad Little provides his vision for the 2024 Idaho Legislative session during his State of the State address on Jan. 8, 2024, at the Statehouse in Boise.
Idaho Gov. Brad Little outlines his priorities during his State of the State address before lawmakers on Jan. 8, 2024, at the capitol in Boise.
Darin Oswald/Idaho Statesman via AP
States What's on the K-12 Agenda for States This Year? 4 Takeaways
Reading instruction, private school choice, and teacher pay are among the issues leading governors' K-12 education agendas.
Mark Lieberman, January 30, 2024
6 min read
Left: California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at a press conference in Beijing on Oct. 25, 2023. Right: Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis speaks at a Town Hall event at Tempesta's in Keene, N.H., on Nov. 21, 2023.
Left: California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at a press conference in Beijing on Oct. 25, 2023. Right: Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis speaks at a Town Hall event at Tempesta's in Keene, N.H., on Nov. 21, 2023.
Left: Ng Han Guan/AP; Right: Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via AP
States DeSantis vs. Newsom: How K-12 Schools Fared in the 'Red vs. Blue State Debate'
The Florida and California governors sparred over book bans, school closures, and parental rights during their Fox News debate.
Libby Stanford, December 1, 2023
5 min read
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear speaks during an election night rally after he was elected to a second term in Louisville, Ky., on Nov. 7, 2023. At right is his wife Britainy Beshear.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear speaks during an election night rally after he was elected to a second term in Louisville, Ky., on Nov. 7, 2023. At right is his wife Britainy Beshear.
Timothy D. Easley/AP
States Liberals Win Hotly Contested School Board Races in Backlash to Conservative Control
A Democrat who championed teacher pay raises was also reelected Kentucky's governor and Democrats won legislative majorities in Virginia.
Libby Stanford, November 8, 2023
6 min read
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine speaks about his plans for the coming year during an interview at the Governor's Residence in Columbus, Ohio, on Dec. 13, 2019.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine speaks about his plans for the coming year during an interview at the Governor's Residence in Columbus, Ohio, on Dec. 13, 2019. An overhaul that gives the governor more power over state education policy has run into legal obstacles.
John Minchillo/AP
States Why Governors Are Exerting More Control Over Schools
Ohio has become the latest state to award the governor more control over schools. But the change has run into legal challenges.
Libby Stanford, November 2, 2023
7 min read
An overflow crowd attends a Temecula Valley Unified School District board meeting July 18, 2023, at which a proposed social studies curriculum was again debated and rejected.
An overflow crowd attends a Temecula Valley Unified School District board meeting July 18, 2023, at which the board again debated and rejected a proposed social studies curriculum.
Will Lester/Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG via TNS
States What California Gov. Newsom's Fight With a School District Says About Local Control
Newsom threatened to fine the Temecula Valley school board after it rejected a curriculum that mentioned gay rights leader Harvey Milk.
Libby Stanford, August 11, 2023
8 min read
Illustration of hand placing stacked coins.
iStock / Getty Images Plus
Education Funding A Governor Boosted School Funding for the Next 400 Years. But the Reality Is More Complex
Wisconsin's governor enshrined mandatory K-12 funding increases in law until 2425—but the move may not be transformative for districts.
Mark Lieberman, July 12, 2023
4 min read
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
Social Studies Opinion DeSantis’ Take on AP African American Studies Was Principled. The Media’s Response Was Not
News coverage characterized the concern as an unwillingness to teach about racism rather than how to teach it.
Rick Hess, March 13, 2023
5 min read
Arkansas Governor-elect Sarah Huckabee Sanders answers a question while taking part in a panel discussion during a Republican Governors Association conference, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022, in Orlando, Fla.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders answers a question while taking part in a panel discussion during a Republican Governors Association conference, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. Huckabee Sanders is hoping to increase starting teacher salaries to $50,000 under her new plan Arkansas LEARNS.
Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP
Teaching Profession Teacher Pay Raise Proposals Are Gaining Bipartisan Support. What's in Them?
More conservative governors are signing onto teacher pay raises, a cause that's typically been championed by Democrats.
Libby Stanford, March 2, 2023
8 min read
Illustration of many hands are raised against a giant hand stopping them
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + Getty Images
Equity & Diversity Opinion Educators, We Must Defend AP African American Studies
In an open letter to colleagues, a former Florida educator urges teachers to speak out. "No one will save us."
Monika Williams Shealey , February 2, 2023
5 min read
Students and teachers from East High School in Salt Lake City walk out of school to protest the HB15 voucher bill, on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023. Several years of pandemic restrictions and curriculum battles have emboldened longtime advocates of funneling public funds to private and religious schools in statehouses throughout the country.
Students and teachers from East High School in Salt Lake City walk out of school on Jan. 25, 2023, to protest legislation that would create private-school vouchers in the state. Several years of pandemic restrictions and curriculum battles have emboldened longtime advocates of funneling public funds to private and religious schools in statehouses throughout the country.
Rick Egan/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP
School Choice & Charters The Push for School Choice Is Accelerating
States across the country are considering sweeping school choice bills that would send public funds to private schools.
Libby Stanford, January 27, 2023
6 min read
Arkansas Gov.-elect Sarah Huckabee Sanders is introduced with husband Bryan, and children Scarlett, George, and Huck prior to taking the oath of the office on the steps of the Arkansas Capitol Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, in Little Rock, Ark.
Arkansas Gov.-elect Sarah Huckabee Sanders prepares to take the oath of office, with her husband and children by her side, on the steps of the state capitol in Little Rock on Jan. 10.
Will Newton/AP
States The Republican Fight Against 'Critical Race Theory' Continues As Arkansas Enacts New Ban
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed an executive order this week banning “indoctrination and critical race theory” in schools.
Sarah Schwartz, January 12, 2023
3 min read
"I Voted" stickers sit in a pile at the Fairview Recreation Center in North Minneapolis.
"I Voted" stickers sit in a pile at the Fairview Recreation Center in North Minneapolis during the midterm elections on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022.
Tim Evans/Minnesota Public Radio via AP
States Educators Weigh K-12 Impact From an Unpredictable Election
Many of the most contentious issues in the 2022 midterms resonate most at the local level.
Libby Stanford, November 9, 2022
6 min read
Aidan Lau-Struck, 6, helps his mom Stephanie Lau feed her ballot into the machine at the Brighton Green Community Association voting precinct in North Chesterfield, Va., on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022.
Aidan Lau-Struck, 6, helps his mother, Stephanie Lau, feed her ballot into the machine at the Brighton Green Community Association voting precinct in North Chesterfield, Va., on Election Day.
Eva Russo/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP
States K-12 and the Midterms: What to Watch For
Educators sound off on what the hard-fought midterm elections could mean for K-12 policy.
Libby Stanford, November 8, 2022
6 min read
Illustration of voting.
DigitalVision Vectors
States Election Guide 2022: Results on the Issues and Races Affecting K-12
Education was at the heart of some of the most contentious issues on voters' minds as they weigh candidates from governor to local school board.
Libby Stanford, September 27, 2022
14 min read