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Education Commission of the States briefs Nevada committee on national K‑12 trends
Summary
Tom Kiley, policy director at the Education Commission of the States, told the Nevada Assembly Committee on Education in Carson City that six major education policy areas dominated state activity in 2024.
Tom Kiley, policy director at the Education Commission of the States, told the Nevada Assembly Committee on Education in Carson City that six broad areas drove state education policy activity in 2024: teaching, K‑12 funding, school choice, postsecondary education, early care and education, and career and technical education and workforce development.
The national nonprofit’s state liaison, Gabriela Rodriguez, introduced the commission’s role as a nonpartisan research and technical assistance organization that tracks education legislation and provides memos and comparative data to state policymakers.
Kiley said states pursued teacher recruitment and retention through paid pathways such as grow‑your‑own programs, teacher residencies and stipends for student teachers, and by easing some licensure barriers. “We’ve seen policies that address paid pathways...and removing licensure‑related barriers to entering the profession,” he said, noting licensure reciprocity activity. He added that 12 states in addition to Nevada enacted legislation to join a teacher mobility compact that smooths license transfer across participating states.
On funding, Kiley said states mostly tweaked base funding or adjusted supplements for specific student populations, and some raised teacher pay; he cited South Dakota’s 2024 minimum teacher salary of $45,000 as an example. On school choice, he said states focused on eligibility, funding and oversight, with a national trend toward expanding eligibility to near‑universal programs. Those moves can carry steep costs: Kiley cited Arizona’s program at nearly $700,000,000 (fiscal 2023–24) and said states use statutory caps or tiered payments to limit program scale (he cited Oklahoma’s $250,000,000 cap and Utah’s recent cap near $80,000,000).
Kiley described postsecondary trends as heavy on affordability and funding formulas, including outcomes‑based funding and targeted aid for high‑demand workforce fields such as teaching and health care. On early care and education, he said states continue to rebuild capacity after the COVID‑19 pandemic by improving compensation, reducing provider barriers and studying subsidy and zoning changes to increase access. Kiley also reported an interest among states in aligning early reading instruction with evidence‑based practices and tracking early numeracy supports.
Career and technical education trends included debt‑relief policies for workers entering priority fields, expanded work‑based learning partnerships, and targeted funding to increase participation in industry‑aligned programs.
Kiley said states are monitoring the emergence of artificial intelligence in schools and colleges and that some states are taking related steps — for example, recent moves to ban or restrict student cell‑phone use in schools and to study AI’s instructional and health implications.
“People can reach out to us for memos or tailored answers,” Gabriela Rodriguez said, noting the commission’s services for state officials and upcoming events for policymakers.
No committee votes were taken during the presentation; members asked clarifying questions about AI and postsecondary funding, and Kiley said the commission could research the use of AI for student funding allocation in other states.
