Misplaced Pages

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages) This article relies excessively on references to primary sources. Please improve this article by adding secondary or tertiary sources. Find sources: "Education Commission of the States" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (February 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this message) This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Education Commission of the States" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (February 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this message) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

This article is part of a series on
Education in the United States
Summary
By state and in insular areas By subject area History of education in the United States History of education in Chicago History of education in Kentucky History of education in Massachusetts History of education in Missouri History of education in New York City
Curriculum topics
Literacy Normal schools Apprenticeship degrees Art education Civic education Music education Legal education Law school Medical education Medical school Nursing degrees Environmental education Language education Mathematics education Sex education Vocational education
Education policy issues
Accreditation Primary and secondary Post-secondary Financing Educational attainment Post-secondary issues Bubble Cost and financing Credentialism Elite overproduction Graduate unemployment Student financial aid Student loans Reform Charter schools Inequality Achievement gaps Racial achievement gap Desegregation busing Gender achievement gap Head Start School choice Racial diversity School segregation Standards-based reform School corporal punishment School meals School violence Sexual harassment Foreign involvement Special education Apprenticeship School-to-work transition Community colleges For-profit higher education For-profit colleges Research universities Community school Full-service community schools
Levels of education
Early childhood K–12 Primary Secondary Post-secondary Organizations
Education portal United States portal
v t e

The Education Commission of the States (ECS) is a nonprofit that tracks educational policy. It is led by over 300 appointed commissioners from across the United States. ECS was founded as a result of the creation of the Compact for Education, an interstate compact approved by Congress and works with all 50 U.S. states, three territories (American Samoa, Guam and Northern Mariana Islands) and the District of Columbia.

The idea of establishing a compact on education and creating an operational arm to follow up on its goals was originally proposed by James Bryant Conant, president of Harvard University. Between 1965 and 1967, John W. Gardner, president of the Carnegie Corporation of New York and former North Carolina Governor Terry Sanford took up the idea, drafted the proposed Compact, obtained the endorsement of all 50 states and got Congress' approval.

The organization opened its offices in Denver in 1967 and began administering the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) test until the Reagan administration in 1982 made the decision to privatize the test, which is now administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). That decision threatened the very existence of the commission, leading to the virtual closing of ECS's Information Clearinghouse, the laying off or early retirement of half of its 117-member staff and a 50% cut in the organization's budget.

Each member jurisdiction (state, territory, and the District of Columbia) has seven seats on the commission, including the governor and six appointed members, usually including members of the state legislature and education officials, such as the state education commissioner or head of the state education agency.

Awards

The commission gives out three yearly awards. The James Bryant Conant award has been given since 1977 for "outstanding individual contributions to education". The commission also gives out the Frank Newman award to a state or territory, and a corporate award to a corporation or nonprofit organization.

Commission chairs

The commissioner chairman ship is held by the governor of a member jurisdiction. The term changed from one year to two years in 2002. It alternates between political parties.

As chairman from 2004-2006 and Governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee launched an effort to increase student participation in the arts. An analysis released in 2008 found that elementary school class time for arts had decreased by 35% on average.

Commission executive directors/presidents

References

1. "Indiana lawmakers want to hold back more 3rd graders. Will it actually improve literacy?". The Republic News. 2023-12-04. Retrieved 2023-12-22.
2. Motter, Sarah (July 13, 2023). "Kansas Gov. named Chair of Education Commission of the States". www.msn.com. Retrieved 2023-12-22.
3. "Awards" (PDF). Educational Commission of the States. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
4. "Past award recipients" (PDF). Educational Commission of the States. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
5. "Why Arts Education Is Crucial, and Who's Doing It Best". Edutopia. Retrieved 2023-12-22.
6. "ECS Officers and President:ECS Officers for 2011–13". ECS Official Website. Education Commission of the States. c. 2011. Archived from the original on 2012-02-09. Retrieved 2012-02-19. John Hickenlooper, Chair
7. "Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson appointed chair of national education association". KARK. 2022-10-11. Retrieved 2023-12-22.
8. "Home". ecs.org.

Sources

• Official website

• Education government agencies of the United States
• United States interstate agencies
• Interstate compacts of California