NGA Convenes Governors’ Education Policy Advisors Institute to Boost Student Achievement, Create More Universal Career Pathways

Education leaders collaborate on early literacy, tutoring and other tools to support broad student success

NEW ORLEANS - The National Governors Association (NGA) this week convened its annual Governors' Education Policy Advisors Institute in New Orleans, bringing together 34 leaders from 21 states and territories to shape policy and strategies that will help learners succeed. The institute's work is helping define a broader vision of readiness, spanning academic foundations like improved math and reading skills; workforce preparedness; civic engagement; and lifelong well-being from early childhood to careers.

"We're working with governors to create common-sense, cross-aisle paths to ensure students and teachers across all states and territories have the skills they need to succeed, especially in the age of AI," said NGA Chief Policy Officer Timothy Blute. "The road ahead requires sharing what works and acting with urgency; education policy advisors are at the forefront of efforts to ensure states have the tools they need to support students in being both career- and college-ready, no matter the path they choose."

Sessions reflected the cross-cutting thinking states need: promoting childcare as a workforce development strategy; promoting early literacy for academic success; promoting mental health supports for students; and promoting higher education financing as a lever for equity. Eliminating information silos, building data infrastructure that drives economic mobility, and holding systems accountable to results are also critical to driving success.

"In New Orleans, we've seen firsthand what happens when schools, businesses, and policymakers prioritize career-connected learning: students graduate ready to fulfill their potential in work and life," said YouthForce NOLA Co-Founder, CEO & President Cate Swinburn. "YouthForce NOLA has connected nearly 2,000 public high school students to internships with more than 250 local businesses; 97% of our alumni have gone on to a post-secondary degree or career after graduation, showing the importance of a clear pathway from classroom to career. Governors across the country are asking the right questions: how do we make sure every young person graduates high school on their way to a meaningful, good-paying career? The NGA Institute provides the space for state leaders to share strategies that help every young person succeed."

To support improving test scores in reading and math, state and territory leaders are implementing a comprehensive approach that includes early childhood education, high-quality literacy instruction, tutoring, childcare access, student mental health and career-focused education options.

A new national report from researchers at Harvard and Stanford offers a timely and sobering assessment of where American students stand and what is beginning to work. The 2026 Education Scorecard, "From Learning Recession to Learning Recovery," draws on state test results for roughly 35 million third through eighth grade students to track district-level trends in math and reading across the country. Its picture is mixed: while some states have made significant gains and post-pandemic math recovery has been real, reading scores remain at historic lows.

Nearly every state has advanced laws and policies related to early literacy over the past few years. Bipartisan investment in early literacy and evidence-based literacy instruction and support has also been driven by results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress showing nationwide declines in fourth and eighth grade reading in 2022 and 2024. In 2026 state of the state addresses, academic supports, led by literacy and math, were the number one education priority raised by governors, according to NGA analysis. From Alaska's READS Act to Maryland's Academic Excellence Program, governors from both parties are investing in evidence-based approaches to reading and moving with urgency.

"Good education policy doesn't end at the signing ceremony-it begins there," said Watershed Advisors President Jessica Baghian. "Watershed Advisors helps state leaders carry bold ideas from concept to classrooms. Governors and their teams already have strong visions; what they need are practical implementation strategies, tools that make the right choices the easy choices, and systems for continuous improvement that turn ambitious ideas into lasting impact for kids."

"Every child deserves access to a great public school, regardless of their zip code; that conviction has driven my entire career," said City Fund Partner Patrick Dobard. "City Fund has helped open more than 200 new urban public schools and create over 112,000 new public charter school seats, but that growth only happens when state and local leaders are aligned and committed to the long game. Governors set the tone. When they make high-quality school options a priority, local leaders have the backing they need to move fast and go further."

"How states approach teacher preparation today will shape student outcomes for decades," said National Council on Teacher Quality Chief of Teacher Prep Ron Noble. "We can't expect reading and math performance to improve if teachers don't receive the knowledge and skills they need to teach these subjects effectively. Yet most teacher prep programs across the country fall short in at least one critical aspect of teacher prep and only improve when states step in with intentional support and accountability measures. Bottom line: When governors make teacher preparation a priority, teachers and students do better."

Later this summer, NGA will release "A Governors' Pocket Guide to Early Literacy," which will provide key resources on early literacy to provide governors with a springboard for taking action. The guide will spotlight strategies that are working to improve early literacy in states and resources that can help support advancing the work.

Alongside the policy institute, NGA's Center for Best Practices also convened 45 leaders from 26 states and territories for a session focused on degree apprenticeships, which allow students to earn degrees while gaining paid work experience in-demand fields like technology, construction and manufacturing, health and educational instruction. The meeting is the culmination of the center's partnership with Craft Education System to help expand multi-sector degree apprenticeship programs based on models adapted from the United Kingdom. The session highlighted efforts in Louisiana but provided a forum for states to talk about how they are advancing their own degree apprenticeship strategies.

Next month, NGA will release several resources on degree apprenticeship, highlighting a couple of state degree apprenticeship efforts and providing a guide for Governors on degree apprenticeship models.

In addition to the yearly Governors' Education Policy Advisors Institute, NGA supports governors' education priorities through a variety of dedicated projects, including the recently launched Policy Academy to Advance Data Dashboards Measuring Student and System Success. Inspired by Colorado Gov. Jared Polis' 2024-2025 NGA chair's initiative "Let's Get Ready: Educating All Americans for Success," the 18-month project goes beyond test scores to give governors the data they need to better measure what works and what doesn't.

The Governors' Education Policy Advisors Institute convened this week as part of NGA's annual Policy Summit, which supports cross-state, bipartisan collaboration on governors' top policy priorities and implementation challenges on issues like education, disaster response, rural development, AI, healthcare access and affordability, energy security and more.

To learn more about how governors are reimagining education, see these resources:

• Education Themes in 2026 State of the State Addresses
• NGA Launches Data Dashboard Project to Measure Student Success
• GEPA 2024: Governors' Education Policy Advisors Get Ready
• GEPA 2023: K-12 Education Highlights
• Gov. Stitt Leads Bipartisan Delegation to Study Swiss Apprenticeship System
• Gov. Polis Releases "Education Roadmap for Governors"