School And System Governance

Question 1

The Local Board of Education’s Role in Public Education

Answer 1

Public education, or schooling that is free and open to the public, is overseen by different levels of government. The state government sets policies for education in the state, while the local government is in charge of carrying out the state policies through specific action steps. Among the duties common to local governments are establishing specific priorities for student learning and achievement, setting goals and action plans for school performance, and ensuring staff and resource allocations align with district goals.

Question 2

The State Board of Education’s Role in Public Education

Answer 2

Public education is schooling that is free and open to the public. Federal government provides educational funding but little input. Local government provides a lot of input on day-to-day decisions in the schools. In between those two is the state government, which provides general guidance on educational decisions in the state. The state government plays three major roles in education: policymaker, advocate, and liaison between educators and politicians and the public.

To fulfill those roles, the state government often sets statewide curriculum and standards, establishes high school graduation requirements, determines qualifications for educators, establishes statewide assessments and accountability, and implements No Child Left Behind requirements.

Question 3

The Federal Board of Education’s Role in Public Education

Answer 3

Public education, which is school that is free and open to the public, has been a part of America since the 17th century. There are three levels of government involved in public education: the federal government, which traditionally only provided funds to schools; the state government, which sets policy for education in that particular state; and the local government, which enacts the policy set by the state.

A major piece of legislation was the No Child Left Behind Act of 2000, or NCLB, which required schools to be accountable for adequate yearly progress in order to receive federal funds. This was a landmark piece of legislation because it gave more power to the federal government than it had ever had before.