In this episode of In the Lead with UCEA, Executive Director Dr. Mónica Byrne-Jiménez talks with Zeke Perez, Assistant Policy Director at the Education Commission of the States (ECS). Zeke  tracks legislation related to statewide longitudinal data systems, school safety, and post-secondary campus safety. He's also done recent comparisons of state strategies to support the preparation and development of high-quality school leaders.

Mónica and Zeke discuss the importance of connecting different role groups and states to share information and best practices in education. They highlight the cyclical nature of educational challenges from past decades, and their conversation emphasizes the need for collaboration and innovation among and across states to address persistent issues more effectively. Tune in to hear how ECS supports leaders in its ‘weaver’ role.

In the Lead with UCEA  is produced by University FM.

Episode Quotes:

Zeke discusses some of the most important state & local context factors that shape the work that he does with state policy makers. 

[06:42 ] We work on every issue under the sun, really. But recently, our steering committee came together and brainstormed a few policy priority areas that we'll be unveiling and working on more as the year goes on. But yeah, so we will primarily focus on those areas and see where we can proactively help states beyond that, you know, we're reacting to state needs, and like you said, the varying state contexts really impact how we're talking to any given state, right? We know that Wyoming maybe cares more about South Dakota or Montana than it does New York or California. You know, we just know that the different levels of funding, the different student populations, the different spread of schools across the state from urban to rural. We know that it all impacts what a state's looking for. And so while we won't advocate for any specific policy or tell states what to do, we'll connect them with other states that have the same populations, have the same type of funding challenges or opportunities, states that are working on the same issues, and we'll try to connect them so that they can work with like states to share the best information and share the approaches that they're all taking and learning from.

Recurring challenges emerging across states.

[11:10 ] I think one challenge consistent across states is the lack of experience that we've seen in those leadership roles. So, we've seen a study that shows that over 40% of principals working in their current schools have been there for three or fewer years. Right, and so, I think these pipelines help get individuals into school leadership positions earlier so that they can stay there longer and build that experience. But I think another way that we've seen states approach that is providing a lot more professional development and supporting teachers, regardless of experience or the type of school that we're in. I think we've seen that across a few different buckets. We've seen states tackle that broadly. So, for instance, Alabama developedtheir principal leadership development system that provides professional development and other supports to principals in their systems, just generally. We've also seen states look at a more targeted approach for schools and then a targeted approach for subjects. [12:23 ] So again, just a broad spectrum of how states are providing support to school leaders.

How ECS is weaving connections to make impactful changes

[22:54 ] One of the areas where we hope to weave states is, you know, they're each working on these different issues and making progress in their own ways and innovating in their own ways, but finding the opportunity to help them find those best practices and work across states and continue to build towards solving these problems that have been on their plates for a short time or  for decades. Just making sure that they can connect and grow and shape the best policy possible.

Show Links:

• In the Lead with UCEA with Mary Erina Driscoll  
• Education Commission of the States Profile   
• LinkedIn Profile