216 CHAPTER 7: Governing and Administering Public Education appropriations and authority and serves an advisory function for the legislature. The precise duties and functions of state boards of education vary, but their overarching purpose is to articulate a long-term vision for meeting the needs of the state’s education system.48 As of 2014, governors appointed board members in thirty-three states, the state legislature appointed board members in two states, and seven states elected members by popular vote. The remaining five states used a combination of appointed members and elected members. The number of members on state boards ranges from six to seventeen, with a nine-member board the most popular.49 (An odd number of members eliminates tie votes.) Just as there are a variety of ways to configure and select state school board members, board responsibilities vary among the states. However, state boards share some areas of common jurisdiction: Setting state curriculum standards Establishing high school graduation requirements Setting certification standards for school personnel Developing state accountability and assessment systems Setting the accreditation policy for local school districts and teacher-preparation programs ●● Implementing and administering federal assistance programs ●● Administering various state programs50 ●● ●● ●● ●● ●●
Ultimately, state boards of education are the voice of the citizens in overseeing the operation of public schools within a state. They are an important component in maintaining the quality of education across the United States.
7-3c The State Department of Education state department of education An agency that operates
under the direction of the state board of education. Its functions include accrediting schools, certifying teachers, apportioning state school funds, conducting research, issuing reports, and coordinating state education policies with local school districts.
As a teacher, you are most likely to encounter in day-to-day work the state department of education. State departments of education usually operate under the direction of the state board of education and are administered by the chief state school officer. Traditionally, state departments of education primarily collected and disseminated statistics about the status of education within the state. Since the 1950s, however, state departments have taken on many other functions.51 In short, they implement the laws of the state legislature and the regulations of the state board. In the latter half of the twentieth century, state departments of education had to grapple with controversial issues such as desegregation, compensatory education, appropriate education for all students, student rights, school finance reform, and minimum competency testing. During the past decade, state departments, in addition to their traditional duties, have been required to develop accountability systems, implement statewide assessments, and develop data systems needed to support districts and schools.52
7-3d The Chief State School Officer chief state school officer The chief executive of the state board of education; sometimes called the state superintendent or commissioner of education.
The chief state school officer (sometimes known as the state superintendent or commissioner of education) heads the state department of education and is also the chief
NASBE, “State Boards of Education,” at www.nasbe.org/about-us/state-boards-of -education/ (January 22, 2015). 49 NASBE “State Education Governance,” National Association of State Boards of Education (July 2014), at www.nasbe.org/about-us/state-boards-of-education/ (January 22, 2015). 50 NASBE, “State Boards of Education,” at www.nasbe.org/about-us/state-boards-of -education/ (January 22, 2015). 51 Fred C. Lunenburg and Allan C. Ornstein, Educational Administration: Concepts and Practices, 6th ed. (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2011). 52 Thomas J. Sergiovanni, Paul Kelleher, Martha McCarthy, and Frances Fowler, Educational Governance and Administration, 6th ed. (Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2008); and Betheny Gross, Ashley Johim, Paul Hill, Larry Miller, Marguerite Roza, Kelly Hupfield, and Suzan Simburg, The SEA of the Future: Building the Productivity Infrastructure (Denver, CO: CRPE, 2014). 48
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