P-20 councils need to have meaningful work to do--without it, they are perceived as window-dressing. In this context, "meaningful work" often means developing recommendations the council has reached consensus on, that are given to governor and legislature as the fodder or foundation for policy changes.
To get a state P-16 or P-20 council to develop recommendations on an issue, some legislatures have effectively created a homework assignment for the council. One of the clearest examples is from Texas, where statute enacted several years ago directs the P-16 council to recommend to the commissioner of education and the higher education coordinating board a "college readiness and success strategic action plan" that includes specified elements.
Another Texas provision directs the P-16 council to work with the State Center for Early Childhood Development to create a school readiness certification system for certifying the effectiveness of preK and other early childhood programs in preparing children for kindergarten.
