When Micro Goes Macro - A Nationwide Review of States’Educator MicroCredential Policies

Oct 15, 2026

A nationwide policy review analyzes how U.S. states incorporate educator micro-credentials to strengthen elementary and secondary teacher workforce stability and capability. The report focuses on six policy areas, building on a 2020 scan by documenting explicit state inclusion across preparation, first-time certification, curated professional training, license renewal, additional endorsements, and licensure advancement. Findings highlight adoption trends and variations, with recommendations and detailed category results intended for policymakers, educators, and the public.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages58

Reading Time2 h 26 min

AccessFree to download

Executive Summary

Key findings

Introduction

Purpose and scope

State Policy Scan Methodology

Approach and data sources

Overall Findings

Adoption and patterns

Detailed Policy Category Findings

Educator Preparation Program Governance

Initial and First-Time Professional Certification

Curated Professional Development in State Priority Areas

License Renewal

Additional Endorsements

License Advancement

Comparison to 2020 Findings

Changes over time

Discussion

Implications

Conclusions and Recommendations

Next steps

Appendix A: Understanding the High-Quality Micro-Credentialing Process and Ecosystem

Appendix B: Interviews Conducted by Authors, Chronologically

Appendix C: Definitions and Examples for Six Educator Policy Areas

Appendix D: Policy Categorization Methodology Differences from 2020 to 2025

Appendix E: Summary of State Educator Micro-Credential Policies, by Category

Appendix F: Additional Insights on Individual State Educator Micro-Credential Policies

April 2025 When Micro Goes Macro: A Nationwide Review of States’Educator MicroCredential Policies Melissa Tooley & Lisette Partelow Education Policy & PreK-12 Education Last edited on May 01, 2025 at 9:41 a.m. EDT Acknowledgments We are deeply grateful to the state agency staff members who reviewed drafts and responded to our questions to ensure we accurately represented their states’ educator policies. The authors would also like to thank others who generously shared their expertise on educator micro-credential policies: Laureen Avery, The ExcEL Leadership Academy; Myra Best, digiLEARN; Ann Coffman and Barbara Hicks, National Education Association; Marilys Galindo and Christina Luke, Digital Promise; Jennifer Kabaker, Aurora Institute; and Jason Lange, BloomBoard. Appreciation also goes to Natalya Brill for her data visualization support. This work was made possible thanks to the generous support of the Walton Family Foundation and the Gates Foundation.The views expressed in this report are solely those of the authors and are not intended to reflect the views of New America, its entire staff, its funders, or its board of directors. [newamerica.org/education-policy/reports/when-micro-goes-macro-a-review-of-states-educator-micro](newamerica.org/education-policy/reports/when-micro-goes-macro-a-review-of-states-educator-micro) credential-policies/ 2 About the Author(s) Melissa Tooley is the project director of PreK–12 Educator Quality with the Education Policy program at New America, where she focuses on policies and practices that impact teaching quality and school leadership. Lisette Partelow is an independent consultant whose work includes research, writing, strategic advising, and project management in a variety of issue areas, with an emphasis on education policy. About New America We are dedicated to renewing the promise of America by continuing the quest to realize our nation’s highest ideals, honestly confronting the challenges caused by rapid technological and social change, and seizing the opportunities those changes create. About Education Policy We use original research and policy analysis to help solve the nation’s critical education problems, crafting objective analyses and suggesting new ideas for policymakers, educators, and the public at large. About PreK-12 Education The PreK-12 initiative works to ensure that all children attending public elementary and secondary schools have access to and receive high-quality educational experiences, with a particular emphasis on improving equity and outcomes for traditionally underserved students. About Educators Our goal is to ensure that all students have access to highly-skilled educators who reflect the communities they serve and provide rigorous and relevant instruction to all students. Our team provides research, policy analysis, and field-building initiatives to help strengthen educator workforce policies and practices across the country. [newamerica.org/education-policy/reports/when-micro-goes-macro-a-review-of-states-educator-micro](newamerica.org/education-policy/reports/when-micro-goes-macro-a-review-of-states-educator-micro) credential-policies/ 3 Contents Executive Summary 6 Introduction 9 State Policy Scan Methodology 14 Overall Findings 16 Detailed Policy Category Findings 19 Educator Preparation Program Governance 19 Initial and First-Time Professional Certification 20 Curated Professional Development in State Priority Areas 22 License Renewal 23 Additional Endorsements 24 License Advancement 26 Comparison to 2020 Findings 27 Discussion 29 Conclusions and Recommendations 32 [newamerica.org/education-policy/reports/when-micro-goes-macro-a-review-of-states-educator-micro](newamerica.org/education-policy/reports/when-micro-goes-macro-a-review-of-states-educator-micro)credential-policies/ 4 Contents Cont'd Appendix A: Understanding the High-Quality Micro-Credentialing Process and Ecosyst

FAQs

What is the report’s main focus regarding educator micro-credentials?

It examines how states try to leverage educator micro-credentials to improve the stability and capability of their elementary and secondary educator workforces and to promote better student outcomes.

Which six educator policy areas does the report evaluate?

The report evaluates micro-credentials across educator preparation, first-time professional certification, curated professional development in state priority areas, license renewal, additional endorsements, and license advancement.

What adoption trend does the executive summary report for states’ use of micro-credentials?

It reports that over 60% of states (32, including the District of Columbia) now explicitly allow or encourage micro-credentials in at least one type of state educator policy, a 23% increase from 2020.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jordan Avery