"We have had a lot of success and we have a lot to be proud of," says Virginia Superintentendent Rick Clemons. "But there are a lot of things that still need to be done."

Districts are paying teachers to work longer hours, offering retention bonuses and pursuing other strategies that break with tradition, an analysis says.

Despite recent events surrounding school security, more and more parents support arming their school officers and SROs.

Enthusiasm continues to build for replacing standardized exams with more "authentic assessments" such as research projects, presentations and portfolios of other high school work.