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State Policy and Legislation

Much of the legislation, regulation, and guidance that directly impacts the educator preparation profession is crafted and implemented at the state level. Each state establishes the licensure and certification requirements for teacher and school leaders, and states are required by federal law to hold educator preparation programs accountable. Each state has crafted its own accountability structure for educator preparation as well. Therefore, it is important to follow and engage with the legislative and regulatory actions unfolding in your state. AACTE has compiled the following resources to assist you:

Your State Legislature

Get connected to information about your state legislature that can support you engagement and advocacy with the legislature and your elected officials.

Legislature Webpage

Find the webpage for your state legislature or any state legislature in the country.

Legislative Calendar

Know when your state legislature is in session.

Your State Department of Education

Another key component in the implementation of the accountability structure in your state is your state’s Department of Education.

Legislative Trackers

These search engines support your legislative research to learn the status of bills and those that are signed into law. Please read the descriptions to find the one that will work best for you.

National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL)

This tracker contains education legislation passed by state legislatures from 2008 to the present, and includes the ability to search by state, topic, status of legislation, primary sponsor, bill number, or keyword.

Education Commission of the States (ECS)

This legislative tracker has three options: search enacted and vetoed bills for the 2017, 2018, and 2019 legislative sessions; search via the ECS 2019 State Education Policy Watch List, which includes pending legislation; or view legislation from a specific year or topic by state.

State Advocacy

The importance of state-level advocacy cannot be emphasized enough – particularly as implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and the federal teacher preparation program regulations unfolds throughout the country. As legislation and regulations surrounding teacher licensure, certification, accreditation, clinical practice, performance assessment, program approval, teacher shortages, and more emerge at the state level, AACTE is working hard to ensure members are equipped with the tools and resources necessary to bring educator preparation’s voice to the table for these important deliberations.

Resources

State Advocacy Guides

ACSR State Map

Select a state to reveal state affiliate information available, including: website address, affiliate president contact information and chapter by-laws and dues structure.

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