The only organization dedicated solely to helping state boards advance equity and excellence in public education.

January 2023Volume 23, No. 1
Leading and Governing


Is there another domestic policy space more complicated than state education governance? In the face of the 50-plus ways of constructing state systems of public education in this country, the authors in this issue attempt to tease out what constitutes strong leadership and effective governance. It requires that the myriad leaders of the interlocking parts fix on common goals, work collaboratively to achieve them, seek data on outcomes, and commit to bringing more light than heat to conflicts that arise along the way. State boards of education are part of the mix to add stability to goal setting and ward off partisan attempts to whipsaw the system this way then that. Easier said than done, say readers who can recall painful episodes where efforts to do good things on behalf of students fell flat.


Leading and Governing



Effective State Education Governance

By Arnold F. Shober

No one model is clearly superior, but relationships, talent, and shared loyalty are marks of governance systems that get things done.





Roadmap to Excellence: Strategic Planning for State Boards

By Abigail Potts and Paolo DeMaria

Savvy boards can increase the odds their plans will live, breathe, and have measurable impact.





State Takeovers: No Silver Bullet for School District Improvement

By Beth Schueler

On average, takeover fails to improve achievement measures, but how it is done matters a lot.





Harnessing the Power of Evidence-Based Policymaking

By Heather Boughton and Sara Kerr

State boards should lean into education data and work to overcome challenges to doing so.






State Boards and the Governance of Early Childhood Education

By Elliot Regenstein

As states seek to bring coherence to the disparate systems that have a hand in early education and care, state boards have key roles to play.





African-American teacher reading to school children. Image credit: iStock

The Role of Teachers Unions in School Governance during COVID-19

By Lesley Lavery and Sara Dahill-Brown

While relationships with school leaders were contentious in places, many districts benefited from collaborative ones.







Featured Items

Empowering Families to Improve Youth Mental Health

State education leaders can foster children’s mental health by increasing families’ preparedness and awareness of available resources and activities.

Engaging All Students

Authors explore the reasons why students increasingly feel uninspired and disengaged at school and outline steps state leaders can take to help schools and districts increase students’ engagement and connectedness.
Image Credit: iStock i

Beyond Testing for Lead in Drinking Water: Implications for Funding

While most states encourage or require schools to test for lead in drinking water, funding to sustain remediation lags—despite significant federal grants designed to boost those efforts.

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