SEA chiefs need to regard themselves as political operators, and to build and deploy their political capital in smart ways. An SEA leader holds a political position, and must work to build relationships that will help him or her redirect the agency’s focus.
SEA chiefs need to do a better job of making basic operating information publicly accessible. “Basic SEA operating information has not been collected in 17 years and such information is not readily accessible today,” according to the report. “Most SEAs do not report clearly how much money they spend, what they spend those dollars on, what percentage of their funding is federal, how many individuals they employ, or what those employees do.”
SEA chiefs need to build agency capacity and philanthropic foundations can provide the resources to change the game. Owing to the still-stagnant economy, education leaders should look to philanthropic foundations to help support the SEA as it moves toward a change and pushes for reform.
The report should “provide the basis for a complete re-examination of the role of state education agencies and their chiefs in transforming the SEA into an agent of change that can assist districts in the crucial task of remaking our public schools to meet the needs of our children in the 21st century,” the authors wrote.
In addition to Brown and Hess, the report was written by Daniel K. Lautzenheiser and Isabel Owen. It was distributed by the Center for American Progress and the American Enterprise Institute.
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