National Governors Association Research Articles

National Governors Association launches five‐state project to bolster MH, well‐being in schools

The National Governors Association (NGA) will collaborate with Maine, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oregon and Wyoming in efforts to support student and staff mental health and well‐being in schools, a Sept. 5 NGA news release stated. Through the NGA project, governors’ offices will receive support from NGA and national and state partners and engage in peer learning opportunities as a cohort. States will receive grant support, provided by The Wallace Foundation, to develop and carry out action plans focused on one or more priority areas, including: developing a statewide whole child or comprehensive youth development vision; ensuring K‐12 students possess key life skills — communication, collaboration, adaptability, and problem‐solving — to succeed in the 21st century; supporting student mental and behavioral health; and expanding community schools and wrapround supports for students and families.

Governors, states discuss prevention, resilience in youth MH

On Oct. 18–19, 2022, in Salt Lake City, Utah, National Governors Association (NGA) Chair, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, and Vice Chair, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, held the first of four roundtables to discuss the 2022‐2023 NGA Chair's Initiative: Strengthening Youth Mental Health, according to an NGA news release. A strong state contingent was represented, including Alabama, Arkansas, Minnesota, New Mexico, and Pennsylvania, according to an NGA news release. Representatives from these states were joined by over 50 community leaders, academic experts, and representatives from partner organizations and funders. The convention centered on practical solutions for the first of the initiative's four pillars: prevention and resilience building. Discussions forged connections across the public and private sectors, shared best practices across states and territories to amplify their impact, and aligned on ways that governors can further support youth mental health. Discussions suggested that a set of common tools should emerge to successfully drive prevention and resilience building efforts and that.

Dual-Language Teachers’ Use of Technology to Facilitate Mathematical Discourse

Teachers’ beliefs, professional development, access to hardware/software, and instructional contexts all influence teachers’ use of technology (Ertmer et al., 2012; González-Carriedo & Esprívalo Harrell, 2018; Ottenbreit-Leftwich et al., 2010). The first three factors have been studied extensively, but additional research on the instructional contexts of teachers, especially those working in less common settings, may enhance our knowledge of how technology shapes teachers’ instruction and, subsequently, student learning. This case study highlights three teachers’ beliefs and practices of incorporating technology to enhance mathematics learning and mathematical discourse in public dual-language elementary schools. Through interviews, video-recorded lessons, and workshop discussions, researchers examined why and how teachers leveraged technology to enhance mathematics learning in a bilingual program. The analysis indicates that teachers’ reasoning and technology use sought to increase opportunities for discourse, a significant component of the mathematical practices (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, 2010), strengthening their bilingual students’ understanding and application of mathematical concepts, processes, and proficiencies.

Best Practices for an Equitable Clean Energy Transition: A Toolkit for U.S. States

The clean energy transition is underway, providing valuable insights for governments introducing clean energy policies. However, not all policies are equal, and some communities are excluded from the benefits of the energy transition without policies that explicitly involve them. These excluded people are members of environmental justice communities, people from low-income communities, and others who have been historically discriminated against. We propose a “clean energy equity toolkit” to promote an equitable transition for U.S. state governments presented to the leadership of the National Governors Association, where state governments share best practices. This toolkit identifies policies that help more people reap lower electricity costs, gain access to clean energy jobs, and realize other benefits like improved air quality. We recommend three policies: (1) establish a Clean Energy Equity Office, (2) develop a Clean Energy Career Advancement Program, and (3) implement a minimum resource investment requirement for clean energy projects benefiting disadvantaged communities. Though this toolkit is directed to U.S. state governments, the policies can be adapted by other interested parties and states, domestic and international.

Impact of Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic on Viral Hepatitis Elimination: What Is the Price?

In 2016, the World Health Organization developed a plan for viral hepatitis elimination by 2030. Globally, control of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) are the most challenging aspects of viral hepatitis elimination. In many developed countries elimination of HBV could be targeted to special populations mostly immigrants from low resource settings. Elimination of HCV, however, remains a challenge globally. Barriers to HCV elimination include high cost of medications and the ability to engage specific at-risk populations as well as individuals who are out of medical care. In the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, treatment access and screening have been further negatively impacted by social distancing rules and COVID-19-related anxieties. This threatens to throw most countries off course in their elimination efforts. Before the pandemic, some states in the United States had scaled up their elimination efforts with plans to ramp up testing and treatment using Netflix-like payment models for HCV direct acting antiviral drugs. Most of these efforts have stalled on account of the health system's focus on COVID-19 control. To prevent further delays in achieving elimination targets, programs would need to explore new models of care that address COVID-19-related access hurdles. Systems that leverage technologies such as telemedicine and self-testing could help maintain treatment levels. Mathematical models estimate that COVID-19-related delays in 2020 could lead to 44,800 hepatocellular cancers and 72,300 liver-related deaths for the next decade.

APA’s Government, Policy, and Advocacy Update

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article Government & LegalFull AccessAPA’s Government, Policy, and Advocacy UpdateSearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:30 Mar 2021https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.pn.2021.4.34APA Leaders Applaud Passage of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021APA’s leaders praised the inclusion of several provisions related to mental health in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (HR 1319). The legislation includes about $4 billion in funding for programs that support the prevention of and treatment for mental and substance use disorders.“We will not recover sufficiently from this pandemic long term unless we address our mental health with the same urgency and attention as our physical health,” said APA CEO and Medical Director Saul Levin, M.D., M.P.A., in a news release. “This package is a huge step in the right direction, and we look forward to working with Congress and the administration to implement policies and services that will help all our patients.”APA supported several provisions in the legislation, including funding for mental and substance use disorder services through programs including the Community Mental Health Services and Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment block grants, Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics, and the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, as well as expanded eligibility for premium assistance under the Affordable Care Act, increased Medicaid funding, and funding to promote mental health integration with pediatric primary care.“It is essential and heartening that Congress and the administration included funding for our nation’s mental health system in this wave of COVID relief,” APA President Jeffrey Geller, M.D., M.P.H., said in the news release.APA Urges Governors to Make Telehealth Flexibilities PermanentAPA and eight other medical organizations, representing more than 350,000 physicians, sent a letter to state governors urging them to support legislation and regulations to permanently retain the telemedicine rules that had been relaxed at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The letter was sent to the National Governors Association, the National Conference of State Legislators, and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.“The ability to see a patient via telemedicine should be driven by clinical decision making over any other factors,” the letter stated. “When the public health emergency ends, telemedicine should remain an option for providing care.”ATTAIN Act Receives APA EndorsementLast month, Sens. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) reintroduced the Achieving Through Transparency and Accountability for Information Navigation (ATTAIN) on Mental Health Act. The legislation aims to create an online dashboard through which applicants, such as nonprofits, mental health treatment facilities, or state and local educational agencies, can identify federal grants that support mental health initiatives.APA supports the bill. In a news release, APA President Jeffrey Geller, M.D., M.P.H., said the bill is a “good first step” to ensure access to mental health funding for communities in need.“As the COVID-19 pandemic has continued, we have seen an increase in rates of anxiety, depression, suicide, and other mental illnesses,” Geller continued. “Providing states, localities, and other organizations with easy-to-access information regarding available federal funding for mental health programs will help them meet the increasing need for treatment faster.”APA, Partner Organizations Offer Recommendations to BidenIn a letter to President Joe Biden, APA and five of its partner organizations—collectively known as the Group of Six—outlined several health care issues that they urged the president to prioritize.The recommendations include implementing a science-based and public health approach to end the COVID-19 pandemic, expanding health care coverage and protecting access to care, expanding and strengthening Medicaid, improving health care for women, and ending interference in the patient-physician relationship, addressing physician workforce issues, addressing health disparities, and reducing the administrative burden in health care. ■ ISSUES NewArchived

Groups seek vaccine priority for psychiatric hospital patients

Following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' recommendation for allocating initial supplies of the COVID‐19 vaccine, the Judge David L. Bazelon Center and other mental health groups released a statement on Jan. 14 calling on states to include individuals in psychiatric hospitals for priority vaccination. The National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors, the American Psychological Association, Mental Health America and the National Alliance on Mental Illness have also joined in this effort. In a Dec. 2, 2020, letter to leaders of the National Governors Association, the National Association for Behavioral Healthcare requested that the nation's governors be encouraged to ensure that mental health and addiction treatment providers are included among the top‐priority sites for the first round of vaccine distribution (see MHW, Dec. 11, 2020). On Dec. 3, 2020, the CDC issued recommendations for allocating initial supplies of the COVID‐19 vaccine, according to the statement. It recommended that the first groups to receive vaccines be health care workers, including hospital staff, and residents of “long‐term care facilities,” including nursing homes and assisted living facilities. According to the statement, the committee's recommendations do not directly address whether psychiatric inpatients are or should be included among those first to receive the vaccine (Phase 1A). However, the committee did make clear that “health care settings in general [such as hospitals], and long‐term care settings in particular, can be high‐risk locations for SARS‐CoV‐2 exposure and transmission.” Many psychiatric inpatients, including most psychiatric inpatients in general hospitals, will be discharged after a relatively short stay. In the allocation of vaccines, inpatient psychiatric patients who are likely to be discharged after a short stay should receive the same priority for vaccination as other hospital patients, according to the statement. Many psychiatric inpatients, however, especially those in state and other public hospitals, will experience stays of weeks and months. In the allocation of vaccines, these patients should have the same priority for vaccination as residents of other longer‐term congregate care facilities, such as nursing homes and as‐sisted living facilities, according to the statement. Accordingly, to implement the CDC's recommendations, state authorities making vaccine‐allocation decisions should include psychiatric inpatients whose hospital stay is likely to be weeks or months in the first group to receive the vaccine (Phase 1a) and give short‐term psychiatric inpatients the same priority as other hospital inpatients and require that hospital discharge plans provide for the administration of a second dose of the vaccine.

Policy factors influencing the establishment of state outdoor recreation offices

The first state-based office of outdoor recreation was established in 2013, and other states took notice. Within six years, thirteen additional states had established outdoor recreation offices – six of which were established in 2019. By applying concepts explored through policy innovation and diffusion theory, this research provides insight into the rapid acceleration of the creation of state outdoor recreation offices. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of policy entrepreneurs and diffusion mechanisms. Specifically, we analyze the potential role of the policy learning, economic competition, and geographic proximity diffusion mechanisms. Data collected from in-depth, semi-structured interviews with state office leadership and non-profit organizations suggest that the policy learning mechanism acts most strongly to drive the establishment of state outdoor recreation offices or similar entities. By creating networks of government agencies focused on outdoor recreation, government officials and outdoor recreation advocates can facilitate further learning about and development of these offices. Management implicationsThis research suggests that the most expedient pathway toward a state outdoor recreation office is through peer-to-peer policy learning. Participation in the National Governors Association Outdoor Recreation Learning Network can help facilitate this policy learning process for state governments. State governments are also encouraged to work directly with a sponsoring state, which is required to sign onto the Confluence Accords. In doing so, states with existing offices can systemically transfer their institutional knowledge to other state governments. While this paper focuses on the outdoor recreation offices themselves, the broader implication is that states with effective outdoor recreation offices are positioned to provide direct, institutional support for expanding outdoor recreation opportunities and their associated economic, social, and environmental benefits. This research focuses on this phenomenon in the United States, however learning networks could facilitate opportunities for learning amongst global governmental agencies looking to support outdoor recreation as well.

Leaders Share Policy Updates on COVID, and Much, Much More

Leaders Share Policy Updates on COVID, and Much, Much More

Interventions for youth aging out of foster care: A state of the science review

BackgroundThe 1999 John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Act expanded a federal funding stream for independent living/transition services for older youth (ages 14+) in and transitioning from foster care. As a result, there has been a proliferation of programs that target youth who are likely to age out of foster care with the intention of improving their emerging adulthood outcomes. These programs aim to improve wellbeing outcomes related to education, employment, housing, health/mental health, and relationships. Using a scoping review framework, we sought to take stock of the state of the science of the programs and interventions (PIs) currently available for young people who age out of foster care. We offer research recommendations regarding how the field can move forward with promoting improved wellbeing of young people in care as they transition to adulthood. We assess to what extent both services for young people aging out of care and related research has included vulnerable populations, including pregnant/parenting youth, LGBTQ + youth, youth of color, youth with disabilities, and crossover youth. MethodUsing the National Governors Association’s Center for Best Practices (2010) as a guide, we searched the research and gray literatures for PIs that target education, employment, housing, health/mental health, and relationships. Then, we searched the research and gray literatures for evidence of effectiveness in the form of peer-reviewed scientific articles and evaluation reports. Next, based on the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse (CEBC) for Child Welfare’s Scientific Rating Scale, we assigned each PI a rating (1 = Well-Supported by Research Evidence, 2 = Supported by Research Evidence, 3 = Promising Research Evidence, 4 = Failure to Demonstrate Effect, and 5 = Concerning Practice). FindingsOf the 79 PIs we found, 10 (13%) yielded a rating from 1 to 5. The best rating in any of the five practice areas was a 2 (“Supported by Research Evidence”), which applied to four programs. The area with the most rated programs was relationships, with four programs receiving a rating. The area with the least PIs was health/mental health care, with only a single program receiving a rating. Regarding vulnerable populations, 64 programs targeted at least one of the vulnerable populations of interest; 10 (16%) were rated with the CEBC Scale. ImplicationsWhen the Foster Care Independence Act was passed, there was a dearth of PIs that targeted the wellbeing of older youth in foster care who were likely to age out. In the last 20 years, we have done an excellent job developing PIs. Given the results of this scoping review, we must now build the evidence for the PIs that already exist. This process entails ensuring agencies are equipped with the capacities to implement PIs to fidelity and that procedures are in place to examine the effectiveness for the many PIs that are already being delivered to marginalized young people who age out of care. Special attention should also be devoted to testing the efficacy and effectiveness of existing PIs for vulnerable populations, as their experiences have not been adequately illuminated by previous research.

“I like […] different time periods:” elementary teachers’ uses of historical fiction

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore how and why teachers use historical fiction in their classroom (e.g. selection and instruction) through the lenses of their pedagogical content knowledge (Shulman, 1986) and pedagogical tools (Grossman et al., 1999).Design/methodology/approachThe authors explored the following questions: In what ways do elementary school teachers, more specifically fifth grade teachers responsible for early US history as part of their social studies curriculum, use historical fiction in their classrooms? and What factors do elementary school teachers consider when they select historical fiction to use in their classrooms? In order to explore these questions, the authors interviewed eight fifth grade teachers. The authors describe the ways in which these teachers use historical fiction as part of their social studies instruction by employing collective case study (Stake, 1994).FindingsThis study has reified this notion that historical fiction is widely used by fifth grade teachers. The authors identified that these teachers are choosing texts that allow them to integrate their language arts and social studies instruction in effective and engaging ways. Many participants described choosing the texts purposefully to address social studies standards during their language arts time. Despite many of these teachers using prescribed curricula for language arts instruction and following state standards for social studies, the teachers in this study felt free to make curricular decisions related to integration. Most importantly, when given this freedom, they chose to integrate purposefully with quality texts.Research limitations/implicationsThe primary limitation of this research study is the small sample size (n=8). However among the eight teacher participants, there are two states are represented, varied teaching contexts (e.g. departmentalized, self-contained classrooms), and many years of classroom social studies teaching experience.Originality/valueThe Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (CCSS) (Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Governors Association, 2010) have prompted teachers to present both informational text and literature in equal balance in upper elementary grades. Little research has been done in the last decade about the ways in which historical fiction addresses these standards.

States hardest hit by suicide share best‐practice experiences

States can stem rising suicide rates through collaborative approaches that start with a governor's leadership and acknowledge that health care settings alone cannot be the sole focus for action, a new report from the National Governors Association (NGA) concludes.

Inquiry By the Book: Using Children’s Nonfiction as Mentor Texts for Inquiry

Across grade levels, teachers and students are encouraged to engage in inquiry-based practices. The College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework (National Council for the Social Studies, 2013) and the Common Core State Standards (Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Governors Association, 2010), as well as recent state-level standards documents, provide guidelines for inquiry; but there are varying degrees of experience and comfort with the inquiry process. One – often untapped – way to build understanding and comfort with inquiry, notably the C3 Inquiry Arc, is through the use of mentor texts. In this article, I describe the inquiry process in Ain’t Nothing But a Man: My Quest to Find the Real John Henry (2008) by Scott Reynolds Nelson with Marc Aronson, which the authors make transparent throughout the text.

COMMON CORE STANDARDS IN U.S AND THE NEEDS OF PUBLIC EDUCATION IN MACEDONIA

This study identifies the challenges that the K-12 system of public education faces in Macedonia and explore several successful models that are active in US. These challenges are of different natures starting from the infrastructural issues, curriculum development and standards and unfortunately the strong political involvement of un-professional political elites in all stages of education. The study aims to focus on curriculum development by providing to Macedonia successful models that will create clear standards in teaching and assessment in the K-12 system in Macedonia. It is also expected that this set of criteria will indirectly minimize the political influence in the decision making since the standards are purely academic and performance-based. Common Core State Standards are a model that is considered successful in the US. It aims to unify the learning outcome in the whole country by setting clear educational objectives and mainly focuses in language arts and math. According to CCSS official website, this is a state-led effort launched in 2009 by state leaders, including governors and state commissioners of education from 48 states, two territories and the District of Columbia, through their membership in the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). On the other hand the K-12 curriculum in Macedonia is organized in yearly programs. Each of these programs seems quite impressive on paper since three levels of plans are included: the yearly/global plan, the thematic plan and thematic-procedural plan. For each academic year the program states the specific skills and vocabulary/mathematical element that should be conveyed in a particular year. However there are issues such: the Majority of the academic standards in Macedonia have not been revised nor updated in the last 12 years. Also, the content is often not relevant and it does not serve its educational purpose. Unfortunately the English language classes have no cohesion between the curriculum and the teaching materials. In regards to organization the curriculum/program does not have a consistent assessment plan and there is a lack of mentorship support. It is clear that Common Core State Standards are more complex to be fully replicated locally particularly when we consider the cultural context and the legal and infrastructural challenges but the aim for a progressive objectives. This paper aims to compare and contrast these US standards with the current K-12 educational system in Macedonia with the goal of recommending new norms and principles.

The Council of Chief State School Officers and National Governors Association: Whom Do They Serve?

The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and the National Governors Association (NGA) are member associations headquartered in Washington, DC. They are also co-owners of the Common Core Standards — the controversial educational content standards that most US states have incorporated, in whole or in part, into their K–12 education programs. Yet, despite what their names might suggest, they are not government entities, even though most of their members are elected or appointed state government officials. The impact these organizations have on US schools via the Common Core Initiative deserves our attention and scrutiny. Also important to consider, however, is the impact their intimate association with the Common Core Initiative has had on them. Do these organizations any longer serve their members’ needs on education issues? Do governors and state superintendents receive unbiased information and a full range of evidence and policy options from the association staff they pay with their member dues?

Operationalizing and validating disciplinary literacy in secondary education

The goal of this study was to define the construct and establish the validity of disciplinary literacy, which has recently gained attention from the implementation of the Common Core State Standards (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers in Common Core State Standards for English language arts & literacy in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects [PDF]. Authors, Washington, DC, 2010). After defining disciplinary literacy in the four core disciplines of English language arts, science, history and social studies, and mathematics, scales were developed and administered to a snowball sample of professionals nationwide, with 857 respondents. The data showed evidence of disciplinary literacy as a multidimensional construct with three related factors: source literacy, analytic literacy, and expressive literacy. Based on EFA and CFA results, we can conclude that there are at least three types of literacy in operation among the four core disciplines. The three factors of literacy varied significantly by the four core disciplines of English/language arts (ELA), science, history and social studies, and mathematics, supporting the notion that each discipline uses literacy uniquely. This is the first study of its kind to attempt to define, quantify, and validate the construct of disciplinary literacy.

What the Common Core State Standards Do Not Tell You About Connecting Texts

AbstractThe Common Core State Standards bring the importance of connecting texts to the forefront by sharing that students must be able to “analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches authors take” (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers, , p. 10). However, this is not all that is important for teachers to know and think about. This article shares three points to consider when thinking about meeting this standard. These points were concluded after an 18‐week inquiry with elementary school students and are shared by first stating what each point is and then discussing why it might matter. Potentials for curriculum and instruction and final thoughts are presented as a conclusion.

Responding to the Challenge of New Standards

In the past decade, most states have made substantial changes in the expectations they have for K-12 student learning. While the political debates around the have led to some modifications in what states initially adopted, it remains the case that most state standards have shifted toward something like the Common Core State Standards (CCSS; National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers, 2010) for mathematics and for English Language Arts, toward the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for science (NGSS Lead States, 2013), and toward the C3 Framework for Social Studies Standards (National Council for the Social Studies, 2013) for social studies. As editors of the Journal of Teacher Education (JTE), we called for papers that would speak to how teacher educators should respond to these changes in K-12 content standards. Five of the articles in this issue were submitted specifically in response to this call. We have included two additional articles that, though not directly addressed to the call, are focused on issues that align with changes needed as a result of the adoption of these standards. We see two broad themes in this group of articles. First, teacher educators must look carefully at the new standards, with a critical eye on changes that must be made, not simply in professional development opportunities they provide to but in course- and field-oriented work within their own teacher preparation programs. Second, to enact effective instructional changes, will also need support from other stakeholders, most notably parents and school leaders. The differences between the newer standards and their predecessors are not simply the addition or deletion of topics. These new standards reflect a trend of several decades and highlight a push for deeper student understanding of key concepts and of the foundations of disciplinary knowledge. For example, K-12 students are expected to be able to defend statements they make, using reasons that are appropriate for the subject area and grade level; science students are asked to make claims based on evidence they have collected; mathematics students must explain how they arrived at the solution to a problem; and students discussing a short story should be able to say what they think a passage of dialogue reveals about a character's personality and how the structure and nuance of the text supports their conjecture. Helping prepare for new content standards should not be simply about changing the topics in the disciplinary courses take to align with the list of topics in a state curriculum. Teachers also need to learn how to organize their classroom instruction so that students are called on to explain their reasoning, to challenge the arguments made by their peers, and even to press the teacher for a stronger rationale. Fortunately, recent research on teaching and learning provides approaches that can be incorporated into teacher preparation programs to prepare educators to meet these expectations. Because of the emphasis on justification and evidence in the new standards, it is increasingly important for to learn about methods of inquiry in the subjects they teach. Scholars have long been pressing teacher educators to be sure that teachers' knowledge of subject matter includes knowledge of the ways claims are justified as well as a deep understanding of the facts, concepts, and theories. For example, in Shulman's (1986) classic essay that launched work on pedagogical content knowledge, he said, teachers must not only be capable of defining for students the accepted truths of a domain. They must also be able to explain why a particular proposition is deemed warranted ... (p. 9). Although teacher educators often build material on methods of inquiry into their programs, studies such as the one included here on history often show that much work still needs to be done. …

For Super-Utilizers, Integrated Care Offers A New Path.

Many health systems continue to experiment with the best way to care for those patients who end up in the hospital most frequently.

Governors and Partisan Polarization in the Federal Arena

Governors have always had to balance state interests with political party interests. However, governors’ role in the federal arena, which historically has had a significant bipartisan element, has shifted somewhat, today placing a greater emphasis on party interests. This change is one of the degree; it is less a sea change than a change in the salinity of the sea. I provide evidence of this move to more partisan behavior and explore two sets of interrelated factors that have influenced this change: party polarization in Congress and state legislatures and among voters, and the structure, activities and influence of the National Governors Association, Democratic Governors Association, and Republican Governors Association. This article represents an initial effort to tease out some of the varied causal effects and establish a framework for scholars to further explore the dual gubernatorial responsibilities of advancing state interests and party interests.