1. Dr. Dan Bertrand LEEA 554

2. 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

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

4. 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

5. Legislative Staff Clerical, professional, centralized staff agency Important Legislative Actors Education committees Finance committees Powerful speaker

6. 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

7. 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. 162- determine how the SBE and CSSO are selected in IL.

8. 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. Ex.) Supreme Court rulingSupreme Court ruling Groups with policy agendas try to influence courts.

9. Education Interest Groups Teachers unions NSBA AASA PTA Non-Education Interest Groups Business Religious Ethnic Policy Networks Education Commission of the States Business Coalition for Education Childrens Defense Fund

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

11. 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

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

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