Policymakers know America’s educational system must transform to significantly increase the academic achievement of all students. A high-quality education, including content mastery and real world application, is critical to prepare students for college and careers. In order to ensure student success, leaders must tackle these top 5 issues facing states this year.

Stateline Midwest ~ March 2012

Question: What requirements do Midwestern states have for health education in K-12 public schools?

Chapter 9 of the 2012 Book of the States contains the following articles and tables:

Book of the States 2012

Chapter 9: Selected State Policies and Programs

Articles:

The U.S. Department of Education released progress report information for the 12 states that received Race to the Top funding in 2010.  The specific summaries highlight the reform efforts and initiatives each state is implementing along with challenges along the way.  Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island and Tennessee developed aggressive plans for statewide reform and secured funding for the work.

Educators and policymakers realize that all of America’s students need a high-quality education to prepare them for college and careers. 2012 promises to be another busy year in  transformational strategies in education. In order to ensure a world-class education, leaders will likely address these top five issues facing states and territories (“the states”) this year.

According to data collected in April by the National Center on Time and Learning, every U.S. state except Minnesota sets a numeric standard for either minimum instructional days per year or total instructional hours per year.

Results from the 2010 National Assessment of Educational Progress show students made progress in civics knowledge at grade 4, but not at grades 8 and 12. Numerous groups are calling for states to bolster civic education programs in schools. Some advocates of civic education contend a decline in volunteer rates is connected to a lack of civic literacy taught in schools.

The upcoming July 4^th holiday marks an excellent opportunity to sit back and reflect on the state of civics instruction in public schools. It's easy to see young people standing on sidewalks waving flags during holiday parades or reciting the Pledge of Allegiance at the start of the school day and believe students are universally receiving a solid civics education in school. Despite these images there is overwhelming evidence that the quantity and quality of civics education a student receives in school depends to a large extent on where he or she lives.