The federal government should grant flexibility around federal strictures. Rules–many of them antiquated–have accumulated over the years and weigh down SEAs’ staff. “When the No Child Left Behind Act was adopted in 2001, officials became accountable for new school performance outcomes, yet they were not relieved of the rules and regulations forcing them to continue with outdated compliance-focused activities. The U.S. Department of Education, Congress, and the Office of Management and Budget need to review these rules and regulations and
assess which can be loosened or removed to free SEAs from obsolete regulations,” the authors wrote.
The federal government should scrutinize how federal demands shape culture and practice in SEAs. SEAs are split into two branches because federally-paid employees are physically separated from state employees. These federally-paid employees often are viewed as “privileged employees” with their own resources. Plus, SEA officials have to deal with decades of outdated rules that help to repress progress.
Often, education chiefs who assume leadership positions and set out to change their SEA’s culture meet with substantial conflict and pushback, and the federal government should examine how it can empower these forward-thinking education chiefs to turn their state education agencies around, Hess said.
“SEA units that manage federal dollars tend to be siloed off,” Hess said. “For a state chief coming in and trying to assert control, it is a huge problem when you have whole units that say, ‘Well, my real directions come from Washington, not from you.’”
Actions for SEA chiefs…
SEA chiefs, more than anything, need to approach their job with the attitude that they’ll find a way to alter routines. “Chiefs can creatively and thoughtfully change the practices of the agency, to work around or exploit existing laws. While this is not easy, it is not impossible, and the chief has the power to chart the future course of the agency,” the authors wrote.
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