The Virginia Department of Education's Evolving Role in Continuous Improvement

Abstract

State education agencies (SEAs) still grapple with their mandate to maintain accountability against federal and state performance standards and the complementary task of helping schools meet these standards a full twenty years after No Child Left Behind was signed into law. Recognizing that external accountability and high-stakes testing were not leading to increased student achievement, some state leaders began to see promise in using the state education agencies to help build school and district capacity for continuous improvement. This capstone describes my doctoral residency work at the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), leading a project that undertook such a strategy change. This capstone details the process of aligning people, processes, and priorities around a shared VDOE vision to meet school and district continuous improvement needs. Through the analysis of my strategic project, I highlight the unique role of the SEA in providing coherence throughout the sector and the value of building organizational capacity through collaborative work. I explore the implications of these findings for myself, the VDOE, and the American public education sector.