State Governments and Education

Abstract

MAJOR emphasis in recent studies of the relationship of state governments to education has been on evaluation of the organization, functions, and performance of state educational agencies. These studies usually have been designed to provide a basis for improving the value of services, the quality of leadership, and the efficiency of operation. A large number of the evaluative studies were in the nature of more or less comprehensive surveys of the state educational agencies within a single state. Typically, these surveys were conducted under the auspices of a commission (usually appointed or authorized by the legislature) with the assistance of a professional survey staff. Within the past three years such surveys have been completed in Arizona, Connecticut, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, and Texas. These rather comprehensive surveys of the organization, functions, and operations of the chief educational agencies within a single state were complemented by several doctoral theses devoted to evaluation of some particular agency or problem. Another group of studies were essentially comparative examinations on a national scale of structure, functions, or operations of state educational agencies. These broad descriptive studies also were complemented by a few doctoral theses which attempted to probe more deeply into some particular aspect of state responsibility for education. Finally there was a group of studies dealing in various ways with relationships or functioning of state educational agencies. In the following sections of this chapter, studies will be discussed in terms of their conclusions and recommendations concerning intergovernmental relations, the state board of education, the state department of education, and the chief state school officer.