Education Initiatives

Think Global, Innovate Local

Idaho education has entered a new progressive era in order to increase global competitiveness and attract opportunity, as seen through our many current education initiatives. Education and commerce must partner to build upon each other.

The State Board of Education is aligning initiatives, such as increasing the number of college degrees earned by Idaho students, strengthening career-technical education in the technical colleges and high schools, more than doubling the number of students taking both high school and college credit, and increasing the state’s college scholarship awards through the Idaho Opportunity Scholarship program.

Initiatives such as Next Steps Idaho and College Application Week are driving prospective students toward a brighter future, where their potential is limited only by their drive to achieve it. The encompassing recommendations of the Taskforce for Improving Education have been far reaching in every corner of the state, and every nuance of our education system.

K-12 Education

K-12 Education
"Our Kids, Idaho's Future" will formulate a five-year blueprint for improvement of and investment in Idaho’s K-12 public education system. The Task Force will review the K-12 budget to align investments with priorities, with the overall goals of improving student achievement, identifying a framework to successfully measure student success, recruit and retain teachers, and others.

Higher Education

Higher Education

The Governor’s 36-member Higher Education Task Force was created February 1, 2017 to extend the charter of the K-12 task force efforts to higher education in Idaho. Combined with the additional new Workforce Development Task Force, these efforts address Idaho’s “K-through-Career” education and job training needs.

Next Steps Idaho

Next Steps Idaho

Idaho’s one-stop educational shop! Created by the Idaho State Board of Education, Next Steps Idaho makes college and career readiness resources available to Idahoans of every age—all the way from eighth grade to adults looking for a career change or advancement.

Complete College Idaho

Complete College Idaho

The State Board has set an ambitious goal that 60% of Idahoans ages 25-34 will have a degree or certificate by 2020. Responsiveness to business needs is driving a renewed effort to develop home grown talent toward the goal of a more diverse economy.

College Application Week

College Application Week

The Idaho State Board of Education, along with proclamation by the Governor, established College Application Week in 2013.