The Side of Education Policy that Students Rarely See

An informational interview with Secretary Patrick Tutwiler to better understand the responsibilities of state leadership and pull back the curtain on how education policy is shaped, coordinated, and executed beyond the public’s view.

Most decisions that shape students’ lives never make the news. We engage through headlines, policy announcements, or outcomes that feel immediate and visible. What tends to receive far less attention is the behind-the-scenes work that leads to those moments, including long-term planning, negotiation, and coordination across complex systems. If public understanding is shaped by what we see, how much of the real work of education leadership remains out of view?

I had the honor of recently interviewing Massachusetts Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler, centered on what education leadership looks like beyond public view. Our conversation explored how classroom experience informs state-level decisions, how policy is shaped within political and logistical constraints, and why initiatives that appear straightforward often require extensive coordination behind the scenes. We also discussed the less visible structures, such as boards, that play a critical role in shaping educational outcomes across the Commonwealth. Come along as we look beyond public outcomes to better understand the work that happens behind the scenes.

The Motivation Behind Decision Making

From the public’s perspective, leadership at the state level can often appear detached from classrooms and students. The Secretary of Education makes policy announcements, budgets, and systems that may feel far removed from daily school life. This perception suggests that decisions are made from a distance, shaped primarily by politics rather than practice.

The reality, according to Secretary Tutwiler, is that decisions are closely intertwined with personal experiences. Tutwiler explained that his approach to leadership is rooted in his time as an educator. Before serving as Secretary, he spent over two decades working in schools as a classroom teacher at Brighton High School (Boston), then principal of Wayland High School, and finally a superintendent of Lynn Public Schools from 2015 to 2022.

That classroom experience, he emphasized, remains central to how he understands the education system. Staying connected to schools is also a deliberate part of his leadership. Tutwiler explained that he regularly visits classrooms, attends community events, and speaks directly with students, families, and educators. These interactions are not symbolic. They inform the proposals and initiatives he brings forward.

“When decision makers lose sight of the experiences and voices of the people impacted by their decisions,” he said, “that’s when policies stop working as intended.” He noted that many of the initiatives he supports with significant funding stem directly from what he learns through on-the-ground conversations. That foundation was shaped before he entered public office. Tutwiler shared that he did not initially plan to become an educator. After college, while working in the private sector, he encountered the book Ghetto Schooling by Jean Anyon, which examines the experiences of students in an elementary school in Newark, New Jersey.

As he read, Tutwiler began to recognize parallels between the students described in the book and his own experiences growing up and attending school in multiple states. “A lot of the students looked like me,” he said, explaining that the book forced him to confront how unevenly students, especially those in the African American community, were served by the education system. The experience prompted him to reconsider his career path and whether he could play a role in improving outcomes for students.

That moment shaped how he approaches leadership today. Rather than viewing education through abstract outcomes or generalized data, his decisions are informed by an understanding of how policy translates into real student experiences. The classroom, in his words, is “where it begins, and in many ways, where it ends” when considering student outcomes.

The Values Behind Policy Decisions

While constraints shape what is possible, Tutwiler emphasized that values shape what is pursued. Equity plays a central role in his decision making: 

“Equity means giving each student what he, she or they need to succeed. It also means understanding that we're doing work right now in a context that is preceded by a history where certain groups of students, or certain groups of people, received less, and therefore require more in the current context, in order to achieve at the same levels as people who have not had that unfortunate experience in history.” -Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler

Those values often guide policy choices that are not immediately recognized by the public as equity initiatives. Tutwiler pointed to early education as one such example. Research shows that the most critical period of brain development occurs between birth and age three, and that access to early education improves literacy and kindergarten readiness, particularly for economically disadvantaged students, students of color, and students whose first language is not English.

Over the past two and a half years, Massachusetts has added roughly 24,000 early education seats, restoring the state to pre-pandemic licensed capacity. Tutwiler noted that Massachusetts is the only state in the country to exceed pre-pandemic access levels. While early education is often discussed publicly in terms of affordability or childcare costs, he described this expansion as a long-term equity investment grounded in research.

Public perception also tends to simplify how large-scale education initiatives come together. Tutwiler offered higher education affordability as an example. After voters approved an additional tax on incomes over one million dollars in 2022, the resulting revenue was designated for education and transportation. From the outside, the connection between new revenue and expanded financial aid may appear immediate.

In reality, Tutwiler explained that translating that funding into access required nearly a year of coordination and negotiation. The outcome of that process included more than doubling financial aid for public higher education, making community college tuition-free, eliminating tuition and fees at state universities for economically disadvantaged students, and cutting out-of-pocket costs for moderate-income families by 50 percent.

These decisions reflect how values operate behind the scenes. The results are visible, but the process that aligns research, funding, and political will remains largely unseen.

The Constraints Behind Policy Decisions

“I feel very fortunate in that I work for a governor and a lieutenant governor who are very aligned from a standpoint of what the path forward for education should look like in Massachusetts” explained Secretary Tutwiler.

Secretary Tutwiler standing with Gov. Healey as she proposes her FY27 budget which continues strong investments in education from early childhood through higher education

Disagreement in government is not surprising. Most people understand that legislators, agencies, and policymakers often hold competing views. What is less visible is how those disagreements shape what policies ultimately look like, how quickly they move, and whether they move at all.

Tutwiler suggested that alignment at the state leadership level matters because it reduces internal friction. When values are shared, energy can be spent on implementation rather than internal negotiation. This alignment, however, does not eliminate conflict. It shifts where that conflict occurs.

He shared that some of the most significant constraints emerge when state priorities collide with federal expectations. “The United States Department of Education has ideas around what students need...that don't really align with research or what we believe here in Massachusetts.” In those moments, disagreement is not simply ideological. It affects funding, timelines, and the feasibility of moving initiatives forward. Federal pressure can require states to justify their approaches repeatedly, even when those approaches are grounded in research and experience.

Rather than describing these moments as public disputes, Tutwiler framed them as persistent negotiations. Decisions are shaped not only by what leaders believe is right, but by what they can defend, sustain, and carry through multiple levels of government. The public may see a policy announcement. What they do not see is the work required to navigate disagreement without abandoning core goals.

All In A Day’s Work 

The public may not really understand what the job of Education Secretary looks like on a day-to-day basis. Behind the scenes, the work is far less linear and far more expansive than it appears. In reality, according to Patrick Tutwiler, “There really isn’t a typical day.” 

Despite the lack of a typical day, several key commitments frequently structure Secretary Tutwiler’s schedule:

1. Board Meetings

A significant portion of his time is devoted to serving on education boards. Tutwiler sits on the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Board of Early Education and Care, the Board of Higher Education, and the UMass Board of Trustees. When these boards meet, he explained, the meetings often take up most of the day.

Board meetings play a critical role in shaping education across the state. Tutwiler shared that boards focus primarily on two areas: policy and budget. Meetings may include updates on agency work, discussions about proposed regulations, and conversations about where to prioritize funding to drive long-term outcomes.

For example, Tutwiler described a recent meeting of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. The meeting included an adult education presentation, recognition of the Teacher of the Year, and a detailed discussion of an interim report recently released on high school graduation requirements.

Tutwiler explained that a central purpose of these board meetings is “keeping the board aware of the work that the agency is doing and then sort of leaning into if there’s a regulation that needs to change.”

Despite their influence, these meetings attract little public attention. Tutwiler acknowledged that very few students or families regularly watch board sessions, even though the decisions made there directly affect schools, teachers, and student experiences. He noted that while a student member serves on the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education each year, broader student engagement with these spaces remains limited.

2. Field Work

Outside of formal meetings, Tutwiler places significant emphasis on being present in communities. As mentioned before, he regularly visits schools, early education providers, and programs across Massachusetts. These visits are not ceremonial. They are designed to gather information, ask questions, and understand how policies function once they reach classrooms.

Secretary Tutwiler speaking to students attending MassMakes Innovation Challenge during STEM week!

Additionally, Secretary Tutwiler regularly delivers speeches outlining the current work of the Executive Office of Education and sharing priorities from the Healey Administration. According to Tutwiler, these remarks can range from making “childcare more accessible and affordable to reimagining high school graduation requirements.” Because these issues directly affect communities across the state, he spends a significant amount of time engaging with residents and inviting public input.

3. Home Base

Much of the behind-the-scenes work also happens within his own office. As head of the Executive Office of Education, Tutwiler oversees a team of nearly twenty staff members, including undersecretaries, assistant secretaries, and policy managers. 

To keep initiatives aligned, his team meets weekly to review priorities and progress. Tutwiler also holds one-on-one meetings with staff members who are leading specific efforts. These internal conversations ensure that policy development, implementation, and communication remain connected across the office.

Tutwiler described this coordination as essential to managing a system that spans early education, K–12, and higher education. While the public may see education as a single system, much of his work involves keeping its many parts moving together. The complexity of that task is rarely visible, but it defines the day-to-day reality of the role.

Looking Ahead

When asked what high school students interested in education, policy, or public service should understand about the role, Tutwiler said to focus less on titles and more on preparation. He emphasized that credibility and perspective are built through experience, not position.

For students considering education or policy, his advice begins in the classroom. Tutwiler explained that working directly with students provides an understanding that cannot be replicated elsewhere. “You have to have that experience,” he said, noting that classroom work shapes how education leaders think and how seriously they are taken by others in the field. He also stressed the importance of self-awareness, explaining:

“Education is, in my humble opinion, the most relational profession on the planet. It's about working with and for people. So, get really rooted in your beliefs about what that is and what that means and how you see other people because it will impact how you do your work.” -Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler