While it's always been one of the weakest state laws, modest yet significant amendments since 2022 have fostered the expansion of the state's charter landscape, making more public school options available to a growing number of students statewide.

Iowa is a leader in competency-based learning, providing schools with the flexibility, support, and resources to implement programming that measures student progress based on demonstrating mastery of standards and not just seat time. The state also supports...

Kim Reynolds set the tone for the entire country with initiatives that launched an education freedom firestorm in Iowa in 2023. Efforts to expand the base of options available to Iowa families continue with the recruitment of innovative education providers to...

In January, Governor Kim Reynolds marked the start of 2023 by signing into law The Students First Education Savings Account program. This program represents a significant step forward and led to a 2023 Yass Prize Education Freedom Award to support hundreds of...

Iowa emphasizes transparency regarding school success. School report cards are featured on the main page of Iowa’s Department of Education homepage under Features, and clicking Iowa School Performance Profiles. Reports are displayed in a clear format, and give...

One of many data points to assess whether a state has the right policies in place to ensure teacher quality is the "use of student achievement data in teacher preparation accountability." How empty or full the fuel tank above is will give you the answer for your state.

Iowa does not have a Blaine Amendment, but its constitution contains a Compelled Support Clause, "which the Iowa Supreme Court has interpreted as prohibiting direct payment of public funds to religious schools. In general, however, the Court has noted that the...