Never before has more been asked of State Education Agencies (SEAs), commonly known as state departments of education. In recent years, policymakers at the state and federal level have viewed the SEA as the default entity for implementing new and sweeping K-12 initiatives--everything from Race to the Top grants and SEA waivers to teacher evaluation reform and digital learning. But SEAs were designed--and evolved over decades--to address a relatively narrow set of tasks: distributing state and federal dollars, monitoring the use of these funds, and overseeing the implementation of federal and state education programs. They were not created--nor have they developed the core competencies--to drive crucial reforms. This report will provide a brief overview of how the SEA evolved into its current form, enumerate some challenges SEAs have experienced in implementing recent reforms, and explain the constraints that can confound even the most determined and skilled SEA leaders. The second section proposes a number of strategies state and federal policymakers can use to identify the responsibilities best suited to the SEA and delegate those better left to different--and possibly yet-to-be-created--organizations. The final section considers the implications, rewards, and risks of this new approach.