Great organizations have a clear sense of what they want to accomplish and how they are going to get there. For state boards of education, this vision and roadmap are typically articulated in a strategic plan. The best plans are living documents that guide state board actions or multiple years; lesser plans gather dust.

What separates the two? The answer lies partly in what the plan includes, partly in the process by which state boards arrive at the plan, and in large measure by what happens after the state board approves the plan.


Roadmap to Excellence: Strategic Planning for State Boards





Also In this Issue

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 Sara Dahill-Brown and Lesley Lavery

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







Featured Items

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NASBE Series Highlights State Innovation to Transform High Schools in Washington, Kentucky, and Indiana

The Washington, Kentucky, and Indiana state boards of education are advancing bold policies to create more personalized, flexible, and future-ready high school experiences.
Credit: iStock i

Supporting Principals in the Science of Reading

State boards of education can deepen the impact of their literacy initiatives by ensuring that principals are equipped to implement schoolwide instructional changes.
Portrait of cute little girl walk on a rope bridge in an adventure rope park. i

Transitions

State policymakers have a role in ensuring that schools work together to prepare students to transition well.

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