State Education Governance Structures.

Overview & Synopsis

This report addresses one aspect of education governance--state-level governance structures across states. This report explores in depth the formal relationships among those holding official positions in state education governance and how such relationships have changed over time. The information in this report is derived from three sources: surveys of selected state education policymakers and government officials, reviews of relevant state constitutional provisions and codes, and reviews of education news magazines. The first section presents a summary of state education governance structures across states, a discussion of recent structural changes, descriptive data on state boards of education (SBEs) and chief state school officers (CSSOs), an overview of legislative education committees, and a discussion of trends and issues. The concluding part of this section highlights governance issues receiving current attention. The second section presents a figure depicting the state-level education governance structure for each of the 50 states. Each figure represents the formal relationships among the governor, CSSO, and SBE by illustrating the selection method for each of these offices. Related data on these roles and key education committees in the state legislature also are included. (KDP)