On September 8, 2026, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) announced a new resource to help states build capacity for problem-solving and program improvements. The resource encourages states to take greater ownership of problem-solving and finding effective solutions to challenges as the USDE shrinks in both size and scope. It also purports to help states build capacity for problem-solving and program improvements and will allow states “to ask and answer their own questions of issues and goals and matters that are most important to those states and local communities.”
The Learning Agenda Playbook will include case studies, templates, guidance and other resources to help state education agencies (SEAs) set goals, measure progress and make financial investments in their initiatives cover such priorities as literacy, teacher recruitment and retention, and agency alignment. and can be adapted to each state’s needs and context.
The playbook was developed with the help of eight states (Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, New Hampshire, Tennessee, Utah and Wisconsin) that piloted the resources over the past year.
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