Supporting State Leaders

We support chiefs to be visionary leaders who follow a values-based approach to leadership and re-imagine a better way to serve students.

We offer tailored leadership development programming to new and current chiefs to better equip them in: 

  • Bringing people together;
  • Crafting and share a vision;
  • Fostering an agency culture of collaboration and distributed leadership; and
  • Growing as a leader.  

Our support is based on CCSSO's Leadership Playbook for Chief State School Officers. New and current chiefs can use the Inspirational Leadership Self-Assessment to identify specific areas for development. 
 

Resources
First 100 Days as a Chief State School Officer
February 2018
Leading for Equity: Opportunities for State Education Chiefs
January 2018
Missouri Leadership Development System (MLDS)
November 2016
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Supporting State Education Agencies

We provide one-on-one support to chiefs and their senior leadership teams to improve how the agency operates to serve all students.

State education agencies (SEA) face numerous challenges to running efficiently and effectively delivering on results for all students. We offer the following support: 

  • Capacity Review: A rapid but thorough review of an SEA’s capacity to deliver on its vision. 
  • Strategic Planning Assistance: Support in translating a vision into a concrete, actionable plan.
  • Progress Monitoring: Development of metrics for measuring success of SEA goals, and the implementation of processes to track progress.  

Re-envisioning State Education Agencies

We aim to support a shift in agency culture from compliance to service-oriented.

To be truly service-oriented, agencies will envision a better way to support teaching and learning, and undergo an internal cultural shift grounded in values and focused on outcomes.

This includes: 

  • Establishing the right balance of support and accountability internally and among the field.
  • Organizing work by goals for students, not funding streams. 
  • Increasing collaboration, trust, and information-sharing among staff.
  • Distributing leadership throughout the agency.
  • Building a culture and mindset of continuous improvement and growth.


 

Leading for Equity

State chiefs play a critical role in advancing educational equity for all students.

Collectively, we have set a goal to build an education system that meets the needs of each and every child, regardless of background. It’s a high bar. We have embraced this challenge at a time when division and distrust confront us at every turn. To succeed in this responsibility, we have new tools, passionate peers, and a collective recognition of the real stakes before us. The Leadership Academy is designed to support chiefs as they take on the following commitments to advance equity.

  • Prioritize Equity: Set and communicate an equity vision and measurable targets.
  • Start from Within: Focus on the state education agency.