Examine a variety of national trends that are taking hold in 21st century American education.

-White House Education Reform

-No Child Left Behind

-National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality – Addresses personnel shortages and the recruitment of special education, mathematics, and science teachers in at-risk schools.  NCCTQ also examines emerging strategies to enhance teacher quality.

-The Brown Center on Education Policy of The Brookings Institution - conducts research on topics in American education, focusing on efforts to improve academic achievement in elementary and secondary schools.

-The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Database - provides policymakers, staff and the public with a one-stop shop for learning the day-to-day status of how state policies match up with NCLB requirements.

Some policy initiatives are emerging from regional advocacy groups and state governments of a particular region.

-Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) - proud to be the nation’s first interstate compact for education, founded in 1948. With 16 member states, SREB works to achieve 12 Challenge to Lead Goals for Education in the region.

-First Class Education - To change the laws in all 50 states and the District of Columbia to make public schools more effective and efficient by requiring at least 65% of every K-12 education dollar be spent on “in the classroom instruction” as defined by the National Center for Educational Statistics.

-NCLB Highly Qualified Teacher and Paraprofessional Database - contains research on state Highly Qualified Teacher (HQT) definitions; High, Objective, Uniform State Standards of Evaluation (HOUSSE) options; and Title I paraprofessional requirements.

-Education Commission of the States (ECS) State Database on Preparation - find information on the policies concerning the preparation of teachers in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and four U.S. territories.

-ECS State Database on Recruitment and Retention - find information on the policies concerning the recruitment and retention of teachers in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and four U.S. territories.

-ECS State Database on Certification and Licensure- provides information about the policies concerning the certification and licensure of teachers in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and four U.S. territories.