Dr. Dan Bertrand LEEA 554

 The individuals or groups who are actively involved in the policy process.  Collectively they make up the Dramatis Personae or cast of characters.  Why focus on state level policy actors ◦ US Constitution 10 th amendment.  Ranking of State Level - Education Policy Actors ◦ Individual legislatures ◦ Chief state school officer ◦ Educational interest groups ◦ Teachers organizations

 Teacher Unions  State Departments of Education  School Board Associations  Administrators Associations  PTA  Who are the most influential education and business interest groups in IL?

 Legislative Branch ◦ Function and Structure  Functions  Development and passage of Statues  Approve the State Budget  Exercise investigatory function  Review laws, hold hearings, establish task forces  Structure  Senate- President of the Senate and Lt. Governor  House of Representatives-Speaker, Majority Leader, Minority Leader, Whip  Committees  Political Party Caucuses

 Legislative Staff ◦ Clerical, professional, centralized staff agency  Important Legislative Actors ◦ Education committees ◦ Finance committees ◦ Powerful speaker

 Governors ◦ Institutional power  Little influence over education policy. ◦ Powerful governors ◦ National Governors Conference  State Board of Education ◦ Responsible for K-12 and CTE (Voc. Ed.) ◦ Policy Tasks  Education laws, certification requirements, assessment programs, graduation requirements, accreditation

 Chief State School Officials  State Departments of Education ◦ Important in policy process ◦ Provide education committee with data ◦ Oversee and monitor compliance of new laws ◦ May ignore, block or dilute legislation when writing rules ◦ Can monitor districts to varied degrees  Activity p determine how the SBE and CSSO are selected in IL.

 2 tiered (11states) – trial or circuit court and supreme court  or 3 tiered court systems- circuit, appellate and supreme  Higher courts only rule on correctness of legal procedures and the soundness of the judges legal interpretation.  Judges can be influential over education policy through their interpretation of statute.  Groups with policy agendas try to influence courts.

 Education Interest Groups ◦ Teachers unions ◦ NSBA ◦ AASA ◦ PTA  Non-Education Interest Groups ◦ Business ◦ Religious ◦ Ethnic  Policy Networks ◦ Education Commission of the States Education Commission of the States ◦ Business Coalition for Education Business Coalition for Education ◦ Children’s Defense Fund Children’s Defense Fund

 Think Tanks such as the Gates Foundation and the Center for Education PolicyGates FoundationCenter for Education Policy ◦ Gather data about public policy issues and communicate to government  Widget Effect Widget Effect ◦ Determine which social problems will be considered public policy issues. ◦ The most important actors in the policy process. ◦ Sponsor policy entrepreneurs.  Robertson Foundation, the Joyce Foundation, Carnegie Corporation and the Walton Family Foundation. Robertson Foundation, Joyce Foundation Carnegie CorporationWalton Family Foundation.

 Locating elected government officials ◦ District office, telephone book, public library, the internet, League of Women Voters, Politicians offices, Newspapers  Identifying Appointed Officials and Groups ◦ SDE directory ◦ Telephone book ◦ Organizational Headquarters  Identifying Policy Planning and Related Org. ◦ Recent policy papers ◦ Newspapers ◦ Education Week

 Print  Broadcast  Wire services  On-line services  Internet ◦ Report on policy issues and their stages but are also important actors in it.

 Read the News Story for Analysis- New IEA Chief Seeks to Unify Members p. 162