State education agencies (SEAs) are the state-level entities tasked with carrying out both state- and federal-level policy work related to education, as well as the compliance and regulatory functions of the state and federal governments. Education is primarily a state function, established as such by both practice and law. However, with the expansion of the U.S. Department of Education and federal spending in education, there exists a challenging balance between the state government’s authority and the federal influence on education. For SEA officials, this often necessitates navigating difficult waters between balancing state laws and mandates (which can derive from various sources within the state— the state board of education, the executive and legislative branches, the lead education official in the state, etc.) and federal requirements. ...