The Council of State Governments has released a brief outlining the top five education policy issues administrators and educators will see in 2015.

In a blog post, CSG Director of Education Policy Pan Goins said that "state officials and policymakers have been focused on college- and career-readiness for several years yet challenges still exist to graduate students with the skills and competencies necessary to obtain sustainable employment," according to an article on eschoolnews.com.

"2015 promises to be another busy year concentrated on implementing best practices and enacting innovative policies that prepare America’s youngest students for entry into school, create environments for all students including those at-risk, and offer a variety of experiences so students participate in work-based opportunities," the article said. "The top five issues include school readiness, experiential and work-based learning, academic success for at-risk populations, innovative state accountability systems, and advance attainment of degrees, certificates and other high-quality credentials."

The first issue, the article said, is "school readiness for all."

"For children to be ready to learn, they should have mastered developmentally appropriate levels of language, literacy, motor skills, socialization, and scientific and mathematical thinking," the article said. "As state leaders work to measure and adequately prepare students for school, they will be looking at policies and practices focused on effective child care, Head Start and pre-kindergarten programs that promote high quality and efficient early learning programs to ensure school readiness for all children."

The second issue the article highlights is "experiential and work-based learning."

"Students must graduate high school with the knowledge, skills and competencies necessary for college, the workplace and life," the article said. "In order to accomplish this goal, students need environments that encourage them to apply their knowledge, solve complex problems and learn much needed communication skills. Experiential and work-based learning will not only increase student engagement in the classroom, but also help connect learning to application on the job site."

State policymakers, the article said, "will be looking at ways to help local school districts offer internships, job shadowing, enhanced field trips, community or service-learning, paid work opportunities and clinical experiences."

"With future careers as the focus, these learning experiences can offer an opportunity for students to engage with a variety of jobs, network with potential employers, determine future courses of study and create job skills necessary for employment," the article said.

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Article by Kassondra Granata, Education World Contributor