State Departments of Education

Education in the United States is and has been established as primarily a state function. Under the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, education is a commission of the state rather than the national administration. Each state department of education functions completely or in part through a state agency. There are varying degrees of control and authority from state to state, but generally each state has a controlling board or state board of education and a state superintendent or commissioner of education. In Ohio, for example, both the offices of the state superintendent and the state board of education are mandated by the Ohio Constitution. In addition, Ohio's department of education was created by the General Assembly as the administrative unit for oversight of Ohio's schools. The state board of education in Ohio and other states exercises policymaking and supervisory authority over elementary and secondary education in the state through the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the state department of education. The superintendent is the chief executive officer of the department of education and secretary to the state board of education.

While much influence is exerted by a state board and department of education, the primary operations of local schools are controlled by local boards of education and local superintendents. Many of the growth and specific functions of a state department of education have resulted from court decisions and the increased level of support and control from the federal government. State departments of education have grown over time to provide the leadership needed to maintain the states' interests and to support the local districts' needs. Today those primary functions include supporting school reform efforts, providing technical assistance, defining and controlling educational content, and assessing the outcomes of education.

It was not until the mid- to late 1800s, however, that state departments of education emerged in a leadership capacity. The functions of early education departments were to be consultative, to gather statistics, and to offer encouragement. However, depending on the strength of the state superintendent, some state departments of education exerted broad influence on areas of schooling, including teacher training, curriculum development, and funding. As state legislatures increased their role in support and control of local schools, so too did the role and control of state departments of education increase. State departments of education had significant influence on the development of state minimum standards for local districts, teacher training and licensure, education of handicapped individuals, increased vocational training, and increased control of school funding. Today most state departments of education are responsible for the following:

• Determining whether local districts are in administrative compliance with federal, state, and local statutes
• Ensuring that federal and state finances are used appropriately
• Ensuring that health and safety regulations are enforced
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• Ensuring that facilities are safe
• Monitoring licensure qualifications and compliance of educators
• Enforcing compulsory attendance and child labor regulations
• Developing and regulating state educational standards and student performance expectations
• Ensuring that all schools are organized and operating in accordance with applicable standards, regulations, and statutes
• Providing school districts and legislatures information regarding the status of education, statistics regarding student success, and recommendations for continuous improvement of schools

In addition to numerous operational responsibilities, state departments of education have a responsibility to provide vision and reform for local districts. State departments of education are charged with promoting whole-school unit-reform efforts. They are responsible for assisting local schools in planning and implementing building and district level change, especially in underperforming and low-performing districts. Researchers such as Heather Hill and others show conclusively that the outcome of comprehensive school reform implementation in terms of both sustainability and impact is directly coupled to the alignment of school reform models with school district and state department of education policy.

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