In this episode, our National Legislative Director Ashley Mullins sits down with our Executive Director Patricia Levesque to discuss the most significant K-12 education bills to watch in 2025. This discussion highlights legislative trends shaping education across the country. That's a tall order, so we made it easy for our listeners. Scroll down to find timestamps for the education policy areas you might be interested in, along with the states we mention in each section.  

Timestamps: 

[4:15] – 📚 Early and Adolescent Literacy (Alabama, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Mississippi) 

[8:00] – 🔢 Math Education (Indiana, Florida) 

[11:11] – 🎒 School Choice & Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) (New Hampshire, Texas, Tennessee, South Carolina, South Dakota) 

[16:07] – 🔄 Public School Choice & Open Enrollment (Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada) 

[18:24] – 🏫 Public Charter Schools (Tennessee, Colorado, Pennsylvania) 

[19:26] – 🎓 College & Career Pathways (Arkansas, Georgia, Florida) 

[24:05] – 📵 Distraction-Free Schools (Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Maryland, Mississippi, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin) 

[30:35] – 🍎 Strengthening the Teacher Pipeline (Arizona, Delaware, Indiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Virginia) 

[32:25] – 💡 Final Thoughts & Takeaways 

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Welcome back, policy enthusiasts and education advocates! Statehouse Spotlights is returning for an exciting 2025 season. You don’t want to miss it.

Ashley Mullins, ExcelinEd in Action’s National Legislative Director, is your host this season, and she will guide us through the education bills to watch throughout the legislative season. If you’re a new listener, our podcast is your go-to for the latest updates on K-12 education legislation across the country. Whether it’s funding, literacy, math, school accountability, teacher pipeline and retention, college and career pathways, students’ digital safety, or school choice initiatives—we’ve got you covered. 

Listen to this 2025 season trailer to learn how the format will be changing this year and more.

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Our hosts Tom Greene and Ashley Mullins are back on the airwaves during the legislative off-season for a really special episode. They’re diving into the recent 2024 gubernatorial elections and exploring what newly elected and re-elected governors are planning for K-12 education. From rethinking school funding and math proficiency to tackling early literacy, career readiness, teacher retention, and even school phone policies, there’s a lot on the horizon. 

They walk through the education policy priorities of governors in the 11 states that held elections here in 2024, and also update you on some key legislative chamber outcomes that will have an impact on education policy in the coming session. Visit our blog post for a deeper dive into where governors stand on education policies.

There's a lot to cover, so jump right in and see how these leaders are planning to reshape the education landscape! 

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast, so you don’t miss any future bonus episodes or season two of Statehouse Spotlights starting in January 2025.   

Remember to join the conversation on social media.   

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In this special bonus episode of Statehouse Spotlights, hosts Tom Greene and Ashley Mullins provide an in-depth recap of the recent state legislative sessions that concluded in June and July. They will highlight key education policy changes and funding initiatives from several states.  

Join us as they dive into the specifics, discuss the implications of these new laws and what they mean for students, teachers and families. 

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast, so you don’t miss any future bonus episodes or season two of Statehouse Spotlights starting in January 2025.  

Remember to join the conversation on social media.  

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This is the final episode of our 2024 season of Statehouse Spotlights! Thank you to our listeners for sticking with us through legislative sessions. In this episode, we look forward to 2025, highlighting the legislation to watch out for.  

Hosts Tom Greene and Ashley Mullins are joined by our team of legislative directors, who will offer their perspectives on the forthcoming policy initiatives and challenges in their respective regions. Then, ExcelinEd in Action’s Executive Director Patricia Levesque takes us through the national landscape and issues lawmakers a challenge for 2025. 

Join us for this final episode and subscribe for special bonus episodes and to join us again in January 2025 for a new season.  

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In this episode of Statehouse Spotlights, we take a comprehensive look at recent education victories and setbacks across the nation. From Arizona to Missouri, Mississippi to Virginia and beyond, we examine legislative reforms, highlighting key bills and their potential impacts on education. 

Hosts Tom Greene and Ashley Mullins will tour the regions, highlighting states’ efforts to enhance literacy programs, expand school choice, improve college and career pathways and much more. They’ll also touch on trending legislation to protect students from harmful social media exposure and the distraction of phones in the classroom.  

Join us as we shout out the state leaders who are doing the hard work of transforming K-12 education to better serve students.  

Remember to join the conversation on social media.  

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In this enlightening episode, we explore the transformative impact of AI in K-12 education, from personalized tutoring to reduced teacher workload. 

Our Executive Director, Patricia Levesque sits down with esteemed guest, Sal Khan, the founder of Khan Academy and Khanmigo, to discuss the benefits and limitations of AI in the classroom and how states are incorporating the incredible potential of AI to advance learning. 

Khanmigo: Khan Academy's AI-powered teaching assistant & tutor - https://www.khanmigo.ai/teachers?utm_source=social&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=wham-launch 

Sal's AI TED Talk: How AI could save (not destroy) education - https://www.ted.com/talks/sal_khan_how_ai_could_save_not_destroy_education  

Khan Academy - https://www.khanacademy.org/  

Sal's New Book: Brave New Words by Salman Khan - https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/740806/brave-new-words-by-salman-khan/  

Join us for this discussion and leave with an understanding of AI's promise in education and the collaborative efforts needed to harness its full potential responsibly. 

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In this episode of Statehouse Spotlights, hosts Tom Greene and Ashley Mullins preview North Carolina's upcoming legislative session and discuss what to expect on the docket for education. They’ll also dig into the legislative agenda in South Carolina, highlighting key education policy initiatives. 

As North Carolina gears up for debates on public school funding, school choice and measures to enhance early literacy, this episode explores how the state aims to strengthen its education system and support student success throughout the Tar Heel State. 

Our legislative director in the Southeast, Miranda Williams, will join our hosts to discuss the recent controversy over the state's school voucher program, which provides scholarships for students to attend private schools. They’ll also look at the possibility of policymakers introducing legislation to increase funding for public schools and teacher salaries, as well as reforms to the state's testing system.  

Remember to join the conversation on social media.  

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On today’s episode of Statehouse Spotlights, hosts Tome Greene and Ashley Mullins discuss the concerning trends around teacher job satisfaction and what states are doing to address this issue. 

They’ll uncover the challenges educators face and highlight innovative strategies states are employing to improve job satisfaction, teacher morale and retention rates, including increasing pay, providing more support and resources, and implementing mentorship programs. They’ll also focus on policies that attract new talent to the profession. 

This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in understanding the challenges facing teachers and the concerted efforts being made to improve their working conditions, job satisfaction and to strengthen the teacher pipeline for generations to come. 

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Welcome to our latest episode of Statehouse Spotlights, your go-to podcast for the latest in education news across the country. 

In today’s episode, hosts Tom Greene and Ashley Mullins delve into the ongoing challenge of defending charter schools from legislative attacks. With these attacks becoming more common and public opinion divided, our hosts explore the reasons why charter schools are under threat and the winning strategies state advocates have used to successfully protect them. 

In today's discussion, our Legislative Director in the West Marcos Lopez spoke with Colorado Rep. Brandi Bradley, a mother who exercises educational choice for her own kids, about her experience defending charter schools this session.  

Tune in as we highlight the compelling data showcasing the positive impact of charter schools on student achievement and advocate for policies that promote a diverse K-12 education system that empowers families to choose the right learning environment for their kids.  

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