State education agencies (SEAs) have been shifting over the past two decades to become catalysts for change and innovation rather than compliance-driven bureaucracies. For this shift to be successful, SEAs must reconsider their roles as well as their typical processes for carrying out those roles.
Additionally, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) put more autonomy and responsibility in the hands of SEAs, governors, legislators, and state boards of education. States that are leading the way are embracing:
- strategic planning and performance management approaches to organizing their work,
- strategic communication initiatives to galvanize support, and
- strategic funding and transparent reporting of all federal, state, and local resources.