Governor Hochul Unveils Plan to Help Students Thrive Through Back-to-basics Learning, Increased Resources for Teachers and a Focus on Healthy School Environments

Governor Hochul today unveiled her plan to help New York kids thrive through back-to-basics evidence-based learning, increased resources for teachers and teacher candidates, and a focus on healthy school environments as part of her 2026 State of the State. The Governor is committed to investing in high-quality math and literacy instruction, a sustainable teacher pipeline to increase recruitment and retention, and workforce development for early childhood educators. After her distraction-free schools initiative garnered widespread support and found success statewide, Governor Hochul is focused on making even greater strides in New York classrooms. She is also committed to ensuring students can continue learning in New York State, pursuing an affordable, world-renowned degree through the SUNY and CUNY systems. This year, the Governor aims to expand SUNY and CUNY Reconnect and help students with tuition fees and other expenses when faced with disruptions to their education.

“As New York’s first mom Governor, I understand how important the quality and outcomes of schools can be in deciding where to raise a family,” Governor Hochul said. “My hope is for New York students to be the most academically-prepared in the country — that’s why we’re implementing back-to-basics evidence based learning models to get our kids up to speed in math and literacy and investing in pipeline programs to support and retain quality teachers. With these proposals, New York parents can rest assured that there is no better place for their children to learn and thrive than here in our state.”

Back to Basics in Math: Transforming Math Learning Through Quality Instruction and Professional Learning

Governor Hochul worked with teachers and school districts to ensure schools are teaching students to read the right way — by aligning instructional best practices with the evidence-based Science of Reading principles. As a result of these sweeping policy changes, and the hard work of our students and teachers, state-wide reading proficiency rates have already begun to increase.

Building on that success, Governor Hochul will apply this model to the teaching of math, by proposing legislation to require the State Education Department (SED) to provide instructional best practices to school districts in the teaching of math, as well as guidance and resources to help educators select and implement teaching methodologies that align with state standards and the best practices.

The State will not only direct SUNY and CUNY to develop micro-credentials in evidence-based math instruction to support New York’s teachers, but also launch statewide professional learning opportunities in math instruction, including through regional hub pilots in New York’s districts with lagging math performance.

Together, these actions will support increased math learning for students, equip teachers across the state with evidence-based teaching techniques and materials, and create opportunities for professional learning.

Building on Back to Basics Literacy Through Support for In-Service Teachers

New York school districts have aligned their literacy instruction with evidence-based methodologies; and her administration, SED, and the colleges and universities are working to ensure incoming teachers are learning to teach using Science of Reading best practices, through the state action plan created pursuant to New York’s participation in the Hunt Institute’s Path Forward program.

In addition to pre-service teacher training, Governor Hochul will ensure the state supports current classroom teachers as this shift is underway. To do so, New York will provide more current teachers the opportunity to complete a Science of Reading SUNY or CUNY microcredential at no cost in addition to the professional development being provided by the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT). Microcredentials are high-quality certification programs that offer rigorous instruction in reading best practices, via an accelerated course. By continuing to offer this instruction to additional teachers for free, this model will ensure broad participation by educators across the state and will help ensure that all children have access to quality reading instruction.

Governor Hochul will also provide additional, targeted resources to some of New York’s highest-need districts that are lagging behind in Science of Reading adoption. Starting with Rochester and Yonkers, Governor Hochul will establish a three-year pilot program between the school districts and educator preparation programs (EPP) based in New York that will offer meaningful clinical experiences for teacher candidates, collaboration integrating Science of Reading best practices into EPP programs and school district literacy instruction.. By focusing on a discrete number of high-need districts, this pilot program, built upon the public-private partnerships being managed by Literacy Academy Collective as part of the Path Forward state action plan, will reach teachers where they are, help ensure all students are receiving high-quality instruction, and work to close stubborn literacy gaps.

Accelerating Learning With High-Impact Tutoring

In addition to supporting evidence-based changes in the teaching and learning of literacy and math, Governor Hochul is also looking to accelerate student learning through targeted, high-impact tutoring. The state will support partnerships between high-need school districts and tutoring providers to ensure high-quality, individualized tutoring to students who deserve an extra boost. Tutoring opportunities will be limited to interested districts, but support both literacy and math. Evidence from other states and communities shows that this type of tutoring can be highly effective when implemented well, helping students overcome traditional barriers. Helping our students excel in math and literacy will unlock a universe of opportunities for our kids and ensure our future workforce is equipped with the skills they need to succeed.

Creating a Sustainable Teacher Pipeline in New York State

New York, like many other states, faces significant teacher diversity, recruitment, and retention challenges. It is estimated that New York will need as many as 180,000 new teachers over the next decade, including early childhood educators.

To address these challenges, Governor Hochul will invest in a set of innovative teacher recruitment and preparation initiatives. She will direct the State Education Department to establish a new program to create an accelerated teacher preparation pathway for career changers and individuals who want to become educators who already hold a bachelor’s degree. This new pathway will require pre-service work in high-need classrooms, to count towards teacher certification, expediting the process of getting prospective teachers into classrooms where they are most needed.

To support our high school students in learning about and entering the teaching profession, New York will launch new P-TEACH programs through the College in High School Opportunity Fund program, which will allow high school students to get a head start in learning about and preparing for careers in education by taking college courses in relevant subjects for college credit. Additionally, the State will support the enhancement of TeachNY, an online resource which provides information, coaching and guidance for prospective teachers as they explore the profession and apply to educator preparation programs across the State. With additional resources, the program will aim to support more than 7,000 teacher recruits statewide in the next three years.

Finally, to consider longer-term solutions, Governor Hochul will establish a Task Force consisting of the Governor’s Office, State Education Department, Department of Labor and higher education industry, coordinated by the Rockefeller Institute of Government. The Task Force will be informed by consultation with teachers and education stakeholders across the state as it examines the scope and root causes of teacher shortages across the state, barriers to entry for incoming prospective teachers, and proposes policy and regulatory solutions.

Through this broad package of reforms and programs, New York State is strategically identifying and removing many of the barriers that currently deter individuals from pursuing careers in teaching. Together these policies will result in thousands of additional high-quality teachers in New York’s education ecosystem, supporting a brighter future for all students in New York.

Establishing the Empire AI Student Challenge

The widespread use of AI, particularly by students and employers, has become an increasingly ubiquitous reality in both learning and professional environments. As students and teachers grapple with the uses and implications of new technology, many report feeling overwhelmed by and unprepared for use of the technology.

To address these anxieties, safely allow students to engage with the technology in positive ways, and equip young New Yorkers with the skills they need to harness future technologies, Governor Hochul will establish the inaugural Empire AI Student Challenge. Groups of students in grades K-12 – with a sponsoring educator or expert – will work to identify a problem facing the public and find or create a solution using AI. Sponsoring educators and experts will be provided with access to training to learn how to teach the responsible use of AI to students and how to prepare for its potential future applications in the classroom and beyond. The challenge will include on-site events at participating Empire AI member campuses, including SUNY and CUNY campuses, so students can learn from the cutting-edge work that is being done in the space right here in New York. This allows students the opportunity to unlock creative solutions to problems facing the public, learn how to responsibly use AI, and supports educators as they prepare to teach participants of our future workforce.

Increasing Transparency and Accountability Into Our Educational System, Programs and Investments

New York’s fragmented data systems make it hard to chart the trajectories of our students from early intervention and education, school and university enrollment, through graduation and employment. To address this, New York has started to build out a secure statewide longitudinal data system (SLDS) to connect records across early learning, K–12, postsecondary, and the workforce to analyze student journeys over time without compromising their privacy.

This year, Governor Hochul will support an additional investment to expand the capacity to build and manage the system at scale. The State will also establish a multi-agency governance board to ensure statewide oversight of this data with the appropriate privacy safeguards. By investing in a secure, centralized data system, the State will be able to use real data across its various agencies to inform more effective policy-making.

Ensuring Indigenous Youth Have Access to Relevant, Quality Civics Instruction

Indigenous students across New York State continue to experience educational disparities, including lower engagement in civic and community-based learning opportunities that support college, career, and civic readiness and engagement. To ensure that all school districts have the capacity and frameworks needed to engage Indigenous youth in school-based civics education, New York will expand the Indigenous Youth Service Project to serve additional school districts. This project, initially started in LaFayette, Silver Creek, and Niagara-Wheatfield, piloted an innovative service-learning approach that demonstrated that when Indigenous youth engage in service-learning grounded in community values, they build academic confidence, civic skills, and leadership capacity. Expanding the project statewide will ensure that Indigenous students across all regions have the same opportunities for growth and success.

Elevating Excellence: Strengthening Mentoring Programs for Black and Latina Girls

Governor Hochul is committed to supporting and uplifting all New York children so that they feel comfortable and empowered to take on leadership roles in their communities. To confront traditional barriers to mentoring and leadership resources for young Black and Latina women, Governor Hochul launched the Black Girls Mentoring Initiative and the Latina Mentoring Initiative (LMI). This year, she is reaffirming her support for these programs that empower participants to enhance their professional and personal skills while building confidence to become leaders among their peers. New York’s diverse and expansive constituencies are what make us so special, and Governor Hochul will ensure that no child feels like they do not have the skills or access they need to contribute meaningfully to their communities.

Governor Hochul remains committed to ensuring New Yorkers can continue to learn and grow beyond their K-12 education in their home state. She’s leading the nation in higher education affordability and achievement initiatives:

Doubling Empire State Service Corps Opportunities for SUNY Students

Young people across New York State are eager to engage in meaningful public service work and volunteerism that can benefit their communities and enhance their skillsets, but are deterred by being unable to forgo paid work. To extend opportunities for civic engagement by younger New Yorkers, Governor Hochul launched the Empire State Service Corps (ESSC) in 2024, a program designed to create paid public service opportunities for college students across New York in fields like K-12 tutoring, peer mental health, and sustainability. Demand has been overwhelming, with nearly 2,000 SUNY students applying for 500 slots in the inaugural Empire State Service Corps.

Building on SUNY’s commitment to civics and service and to provide additional opportunities for young people to get involved, Governor Hochul will double the size of the ESSC on SUNY campuses, and include new program areas to meet New York’s most pressing needs—including offering new capacity to assist disaster recovery.

Connecting Higher Education and Opportunity

Governor Hochul is also working to make New York's higher education system an affordable option to access a pipeline to good-paying jobs, ultimately building a stronger workforce statewide. Some of these initiatives include:

Holding the Line on Costs and Promoting College Affordability at SUNY and CUNY

Governor Hochul is championing affordability for New York students and families by holding the line on costs at New York’s public colleges, freezing tuition for resident undergraduate students at SUNY State-operated campuses and CUNY senior colleges, and providing these institutions with additional operating aid so more New Yorkers can earn a degree without taking on crushing debt. By keeping tuition flat across SUNY and CUNY campuses, she is shifting the financial burden away from hardworking New York students and families.

College affordability is a core part of New York’s economic strategy. This continuing freeze on tuition, combined with additional initiatives such as free community college for adult learners and previous expansions of access to the Tuition Assistance Program, helps working families and students keep up with the cost of living while preparing New Yorkers for good‑paying jobs and careers.

Enhancing Affordability By Expanding SUNY and CUNY Reconnect for High-Demand Jobs

The cost of a college degree should not stand in the way of adult learners pursuing new professional dreams in the high-demand fields that power our economy. SUNY and CUNY Reconnect, launched by Governor Hochul in 2025, provide adult learners the option to attend community college for free if they pursue a degree in a high-demand field such as healthcare, cybersecurity, or advanced manufacturing. The program has already yielded tremendous results; colleges have fielded 16,500 applications statewide this year and enrolled over 11,000 students in the program, successfully working to support our economy and strengthen our workforce in vital industries.

To continue this momentum, Governor Hochul will expand the program’s list of eligible high-demand fields to include fields such as logistics, air traffic control and transportation, and emergency management. Given the pressing need to expand our nursing workforce, she will also expand the program to include adults attaining a nursing degree, even if they have already earned a college degree in a different field. By expanding the SUNY and CUNY Reconnect programs in high-demand areas, the State is supporting workforce development in high-demand fields, bolstering our economy by filling employment gaps, and creating economic mobility opportunities for New Yorkers across the State.

New York Career Connect Initiative: Better Preparing College Students for the Workforce Across New York’s Higher Education Systems

As students graduate into dynamic job markets and industries, it is important to ensure that New York’s higher education system provides exposure to workforce experience for all students before they graduate so they are well-prepared to compete for the jobs of the future. Governor Hochul will take bold action to support SUNY and CUNY to provide thousands more career-aligned, relevant internship and experiential learning experiences to their students next year through the New York Career Connect initiative. Each system will build on their robust internship and experiential programs by integrating career counseling with academic advising, providing clear career maps for every major, and expanding opportunities with local businesses and public service placements. By unifying these efforts under a statewide goal, the State will close workforce participation gaps, strengthen employer partnerships, and ensure that every graduate is career-ready—enhancing the value of a college degree and positioning New York as a national leader in workforce readiness.

Enhancing New York Student Borrower Support

Federal changes to student loan policy are eliminating existing repayment options and imposing limits on student access to loans starting in 2026. The borrowing landscape has become overwhelmingly complex for both current and future borrowers. Governor Hochul will announce the expansion of services through the Education Debt Consumer Assistance Program (EDCAP) to help educate borrowers on ways to navigate the increasingly complicated policy context associated with student loans to avoid and recover from delinquency.

New York’s first-in-the-nation student loan consumer assistance program which has saved New Yorkers $48 million since its inception in 2019, will launch an aggressive campaign to reach, assist, and educate thousands of delinquent or soon-to-be-delinquent student loan borrowers by partnering directly with colleges and universities, with a focus on public institutions, to deploy a robust triage model that combines webinars, self-paced tools, and one-on-one counseling. The Department of Financial Services will also develop a new education program to inform individuals about predatory lending and provide additional consumer outreach efforts. Together, these actions will help student borrowers comply with evolving rules, access support services to exit and recover from delinquency, and avoid predatory lending schemes.

Creating Emergency Aid Funds at All SUNY and CUNY Campuses to Keep Students Enrolled

Unexpected events and emergencies, such as medical crises, can be very expensive, and force individuals to choose between paying their bills or covering their school tuition. To address this and help students stay in school to complete their degrees, SUNY and CUNY successfully piloted emergency aid programs during the pandemic which pooled funds together to be used for urgent, unanticipated expenses that students may face such as housing loss, food insecurity, transportation needs, and medical expenses.

Drawing on the success of those pilot programs, Governor Hochul will direct SUNY and CUNY to develop standardized, system-wide policies governing emergency aid. By standardizing policies such as maximum grant funds, application processes and lifetime limits, the State will make it easier for students to stay in school and access critical services, both on campus and in the community, when they need them the most.

Supporting Former Foster Students to Attain a Degree Through the Reconnect for Foster Scholars Program

Nationally and in New York State, only approximately three to four percent of former foster youth finish a four-year degree, and only two to six percent obtain an associate’s degree. Building on learnings and best practices from SUNY and CUNY Reconnect, New York will launch the Reconnect for Foster Scholars program to provide financial support to former foster youth who started earning a degree, took a break, and now wish to return to finish their undergraduate studies. By prioritizing the educational growth of former foster youth, the State is highlighting its commitment to all New Yorkers and creating opportunities for economic mobility.

Promoting Fairness and Affordability for Students by Reforming Tuition Refund Policies at SUNY

Sometimes emergencies, life circumstances, or other exigencies can disrupt a student’s progress towards their degree. When that happens and a student is forced to unexpectedly leave or pause participation at a SUNY college, they should be able to get their money back for classes they could not take. To support student retention, minimize financial losses for students, and better reflect economic realities, Governor Hochul will direct SUNY to permit tuition liability to be waived over a broader period of time, understanding that emergencies can occur at any time. Additionally SUNY will also allow for a longer phase-in of tuition liability for students who are funded through Pell Grants, TAP, or the GI Bill.

Reducing Burden in the Certificate of Residency Process for SUNY Community College and Early College Students

Current law requires community college students who attend school outside of their local sponsorship area to obtain a certificate of residency from their home county within 30 days of classes starting, or they are charged a separate rate of tuition, which can be more than double the resident tuition rate. Similarly, high school students enrolled in dual enrollment programs at community colleges are also required to submit a certificate of residency before enrolling. To cut red tape and prioritize college affordability, Governor Hochul will reform the certificate of residency submission process to simplify requirements and ensure students are not liable for large financial sums if their certificate of residency is only a few days or weeks late. These technical reforms will add to the State’s track record of supporting policy that makes education more affordable and streamlines administrative processes so more people can access these quality resources.

Promoting Youth Behavioral Health

Governor Hochul also seeks to integrate youth behavioral health support in her mission to promote healthy learning environments statewide. Some of these initiatives include:

• Equipping all 10th Grade Students with Teen Mental Health First Aid Training
• Supporting the Mental Wellbeing of LGBTQ+ Youth
• Expanding Youth Safe Spaces by Designating Two Additional Community Organizations
• Recognizing Schools Tackling Young Mental Health
• Hosting a Youth-Led Substance Use Prevention Symposium
• Ensuring All Child-Serving Clinicians In New York’s Office of Mental Health Settings Are Trained in Evidence-Based Practices
• Opening Up To 15 New Youth Clubhouses to Support Community-Based Recovery for Young People Suffering From A Substance Use Disorder
• Establishing a Young Adult Recovery Residence For Individuals Recovering From Opioid Addiction
• Scaling Mental Health Supports for Indigenous Youth

Safeguarding Kids Online

Additionally, Governor Hochul understands that youth mental health ties directly to online safety. She’s announcing the following initiatives:

• Safe By Design: Creating Safer Digital Environments for Kids
• Ensuring Fair Play in Online Betting and Limiting Access For Young People
• Promoting Responsible Digital Citizenship: Supporting Distraction-Free Schools and Student Mental Health

Today’s announcement builds on the Governor’s successes over the last year:

• Invested $37.6 billion in School Aid, the highest level of school funding in State history, including fully funded Foundation Aid for the first time to ensure that resources reach the schools that need them the most and updating the Foundation Aid formula after commissioning a study of the Foundation Aid formula by the Rockefeller Institute of Government.
• Implemented a universal free school meals policy–ensuring 2.7 million students receive free breakfast and lunch at school, addressing food insecurity in the classroom and driving down costs for families by an average of $165 per child per month.
• Established a nation-leading policy to create distraction-free classrooms by banning the use of smartphones in schools statewide–an initiative which has already led to positive classroom environments and better student engagement in eighty-three percent of schools surveyed.
• Implemented free community college for students ages 25-55 pursuing careers in high-demand fields, with over eleven thousand students participating already.
• Building on the FY25 expansion of the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), Governor Hochul expanded and simplified access to part-time TAP, lowering the credit threshold and increasing access for working students and adults. This initiative, in conjunction with the FY25 TAP expansion, ensures that over tens of thousands of new students have access to NYS’s signature tuition assistance program.
• New York achieved a FAFSA completion ranking of sixth in the nation for the first time ever, driven by enhanced statewide outreach that generated 175,000 FAFSA and 47,000 TAP submissions after implementing the Universal FAFSA policy for High School Seniors.
• Expanded school-based mental health clinics, which help students get a licensed mental health care provider in a familiar stigma-free setting on their school campus. The state now supports 1,300 clinic satellites, up from 872 in 2020, covering 25 percent of all NYS public schools.
• Signed the SAFE for Kids and the Child Data Protection Acts into law which together restrict addictive features of social media for kids, establish important national precedent about age verification, and prevent online operators from collecting and monetizing children’s data without informed consent.