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Welcome to FutureEd’s March newsletter, a summary of our recent work.

new Analysis
Education in Governors’ 2025 State of the State Addresses ([link removed])

FutureEd Senior Policy Analyst Bella DiMarco highlights the education priorities of the nation’s governors ([link removed]) in an analysis of their 2025 state-of-the-state addresses, produced in collaboration with The 74. The state leaders addressed a range of issues, including school choice and [link removed] cell phone bans and social media restrictions to address youth mental health and improve student engagement. But few state leaders directly addressed what is now a more than decade long decline in student achievement in the nation’s schools.
Read the full analysis ([link removed])


** Federal Policy
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Explainers
The New Education Powerbrokers in Washington
With the Trump administration working with Republican congressional leaders to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education and slash federal education spending, and purge diversity initiatives from the education sector, FutureEd has compiled a who’s who of the key congressional and education department players in the unfolding Washington drama.
* New congressional leadership and members ([link removed]) of the education authorizing committees and appropriations subcommittees
* Key Trump administration appointments to the U.S. Department of Education ([link removed])

Commentary
Medicaid cuts and the Nation's Students ([link removed])
In a piece for The Hill, FutureEd Director Thomas Toch analyzed the impact of congressional Republicans’ proposed Medicaid cuts ([link removed]) on the nation’s students.

More on Federal Policy ([link removed])


** Standards & Testing
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Explainer
The New NAEP Scores Highlight a Standards Gap in Many States ([link removed])
Toch and DiMarco compared National Assessment of Educational Progress ([link removed]) (NAEP) results with scores on each state’s own standardized tests. They found significant discrepancies. In many instances, proficiency rates were sharply higher on state tests than on NAEP—highlighting lower academic standards in many states.

Commentary
A New Blueprint for State Standardized Testing ([link removed])
With the Trump administration signaling that it may give states more latitude in executing the federal mandate for annual student testing, Toch and Senior Fellow Lynn Olson proposed a new model of state standardized testing ([link removed]) in an essay for Education Next, one that preserves a central role for testing in education policymaking while responding to testing’s critics.

More on Standards & Testing ([link removed])


** Chronic Absenteeism
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Explainer
Chronic Student Absenteeism Varies Sharply by Grade Level ([link removed])
DiMarco took an in-depth look at absenteeism data ([link removed]) from 22 states and the District of Columbia, finding that attendance challenges vary widely by grade level, differences with significant policy implications.

Commentary
The Link Between Attendance and Student Achievement ([link removed])
In The 74, we highlight how chronic absenteeism negatively affects student performance ([link removed]) , drawing on data from NAEP and Rhode Island state assessments.

More on Chronic Absenteeism ([link removed])


** School Choice
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Explainer
Legislative Tracker: 2025 State Private-School-Choice Bills ([link removed])
As part of our ongoing series of state legislative trackers, DiMarco is following private-school-choice legislation ([link removed]) in state houses during the 2025 legislative season. To date, 98 bills in 29 states seek to expand, revise, or limit private school choice. Three bills have been enacted, establishing new universal choice programs in Idaho, Tennessee, and Wyoming.

Commentary
Questions to Ask as Private School Choice Surges ([link removed])
In an essay originally published in The Grade, we outline the most pressing questions policymakers should be asking ([link removed]) about the growing number of private-school-choice programs—on issues ranging from family eligibility to private school quality, cost, homeschooling and the impact of the private-sector programs on public education.

More on School Choice ([link removed])

Student Experience


** By the Numbers ([link removed])
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1.5 hours

Average time students ages 13-18 spend on their phones during school
25%

Teens who spend more than 2 hours on their phones during school
Source: Stony Brook University research
More on Student Experience ([link removed])


** The Churn ([link removed])
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The latest leadership changes in the education sector

Elena Silva, formerly at New America, will become the new president and CEO of the Learning Policy Institute ([link removed]) . Founder and former leader Linda Darling-Hammond will transition to chief knowledge officer.

Elson Nash, who previously served as director of the U.S. Department of Education’s Division of School Choice and Improvement Programs, has joined Education Commission of the States ([link removed]) as strategic partnerships lead consultant.
Get these updates in your inbox every week!
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