Topics
SREB resources on key education issues
SREB offers a concentration of programs, expertise and data in the areas below. Contact a staff member for assistance, research or membership in these resources.
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CTE and Career Pathways
SREB’s leadership in career and technical education spans decades and includes a K-12 school improvement process that supports CTE programs in high schools and career and technology centers, turnkey curricula like SREB’s Advanced Career courses, original research, state policy recommendations and decision-making guidance.
Career pathways have the power to close critical credential attainment and skills gaps.
Our career pathway reviews help districts complete Perkins V comprehensive local needs assessments and make critical decisions about adopting or improving pathways to the workforce by assessing the alignment of existing CTE programs with postsecondary credentials and labor market demand.
We also prepare new and early-career CTE teachers for classroom success and provide professional development and coaching on powerful CTE and project-based learning instructional practices.
College Affordability
Affordability is a crucial component in students’ ability to earn college degrees. SREB offers data, reports, recommendations and technical assistance to help states raise their college attainment rates and bolster their economic futures.
College and Career Readiness
By 2025, two out of every three jobs will require some education beyond high school. Yet far too many students are graduating from high school without the knowledge and skills they need to earn a credential or degree. SREB offers policymakers detailed data on policies and how states are using them to improve achievement. And we serve districts and schools with career pathways, curricula and professional learning to help educators prepare students for what comes next in their lives.
College Completion
Creating jobs is a top priority in Southern states, and a better-educated workforce is an important strategy. Helping states with policy and practice to improve postsecondary completion is central to SREB’s mission.
Online, Distance and Personalized Learning
SREB brings states together to share online postsecondary programs and follows online teaching and learning from K-12 through college.
Dual Enrollment
A head start toward college and career
Earning college credit in high school can make college more affordable for families and states. Dual enrollment and other accelerated options can also help prepare high school students for the rigor of careers and the campus environment. Readiness, affordability and time to degree are central components of postsecondary completion and state goals to improve educational attainment.
SREB publishes data and state policy on dual enrollment and brings together policymakers from many arenas to address issues such as cost, equity and funding.
Literacy Instruction
Reading is the foundation for all learning. Research shows that students who are not reading proficiently by the end of third grade are much more likely to face poor academic outcomes. SREB provides data, research and recommendations for states and schools on how to improve reading instruction in elementary school and continue building those skills in middle and high school.
Mathematics Instruction
Developing strong foundations in mathematics at early age is a key component to overall student success. By continuing to build math skills, middle and high schools can help prepare students for in-demand STEM careers that are critical to local economies. SREB offers analysis, reports and recommendations to help states improve mathematic instruction in their classrooms.
Open Educational Resources
Open educational resources are high quality teaching, learning and research materials that are freely accessible to all. Using OER in K-12 and postsecondary education creates more accessible and equitable educational opportunities. Open licensing allows educators, students and institutions to customize and share resources ─ from a single lesson plan to entire textbooks ─ without cost or copyright restrictions.
Principals & School Leaders
Schools need instructional leaders who improve the learning and achievement of students and teachers in their schools. SREB offers school improvement, professional development and technical assistance to serve this objective.
Teacher Preparation
Every student deserves a good teacher. And every teacher deserves effective preparation to teach them. SREB’s Teacher Preparation Commission recommended policies to improve the preparation of new teachers. SREB tracks and summarizes policies, analyzes research and offers several programs to train, induct and mentor teachers.
Teacher Workforce Policy
State Policies for a Strong Teacher Workforce
The most important thing a school can do for a student’s education is to ensure she has a good teacher. And states need a strong teacher workforce to increase student achievement. SREB helps state leaders address teacher shortages and improve policies for:
Education and the Workforce
Trends, Readiness and Preparation
A thriving workforce is at the heart of SREB’s mission to improve education and help states build robust economies. We are committed to helping state leaders find solutions to the challenge of preparing children, youth and adults for a changing workplace. SREB commissions, school improvement programs and data focus how schools and colleges can prepare students for the world of work.