The Leadership of Agenda Setting: A Study of the Council of Chief State School Officers

• In Event: Roundtable Session 18.
  In Roundtable Session: District Reform Roundtable

Abstract

This study investigates the leadership of the Council of Chief State School Officers and, specifically, the role staffers play in assisting membership in the process of creating and pursuing a national agenda. These staffers work with Chief State School Officers to create a platform for collective national education policy reform and serve as a catalyst for the processes through which a diverse but cohesive membership assumes a leading role in the dialogue regarding education governance on the national stage. Using John Kingdon’s work regarding agenda setting as a lens, this study categorizes the experiences of these staffers and unearthed three central themes: Leadership, Member Voice and Capacity Building as central to their efforts to support this organization’s membership.

Author

• Wesley Henry, University of Washington