Nevada's educational outcomes – both K-12 and higher education – are woeful.  The consequences of this for the state's present and future are myriad and alarming.  Poor educational outcomes mean that the state receives little return on investment from current educational spending.  High dropout rates and sub-par academic achievement fail to instill the foundational skills necessary to put Nevada students on a path for future success.  The dearth of Nevadans holding advanced degrees or certificates hinders economic development. In this brief, Modernizing Nevada's Education Structures: Opportunities for the 78th Session of the Nevada Legislature, Drs. Martinez and Damore review research on two areas in which meaningful structural changes would occur should Governor Sandoval's policy innovations be accepted and implemented: consolidating or deconsolidating the state's county based school districts and changing the selection method of school board members.