Because of the individual authority of each State for its own educational program, practices and policies differ widely among them in many respects. Yet in the midst of differences there are also common elements of development. The U. S. Office of Education, in presenting this series of monographs, has attempted to point out those common elements, to analyze the differences, and to present significant factors in State educational structure. In so doing, it accedes to the requests of a large number of correspondents who are students of State school administration and who have experienced the need for the type of material offered in this series. The report included in the present monograph deals with the study of State boards of education and of chief State school officers. It describes present practices pertaining to such boards and such officers: Method of selection, term and tenure of office, powers and duties, and other matters. In order that tendencies may be noted, the study also includes data to show practices over a number of years. The sources of information were the State constitutions, the latest published school or session laws, publications of the United States Office of Education, other publications containing source material, and information supplied by chief State school officers or members of their staffs to representatives of the Office when they visited the State departments of education. Individual sections contain footnotes. (Contains 30 tables.) [Best copy available has been provided.]