Public sector mission, private sector mandates: An exploration of educational service agencies as entrepreneurial entities.

摘要

The public education market continues to transform in response to a variety of factors, including open market-friendly policy and legislation, reduced state and federal revenues, population and demographic changes, and technological advancements. The identification and exploitation of opportunities to best serve the needs of education stakeholders, therefore, becomes integral to the work of school leaders. This study, aims to provide these individuals with a framework for understanding entrepreneurship in the context of a local public education agency.;Focused on an Educational Service Agency (ESA) located in suburban Pennsylvania, this qualitative study explores how ESAs behave entrepreneurially, given their unique position as public school entities charged with innovative, entrepreneurial service provision. In an effort to assist theorists and practitioners, this study offers more formalized understandings of entrepreneurship within the context of ESAs through a conceptual framework and guiding propositions grounded in the literature. This study also articulates participant perceptions of the various factors and conditions that either facilitate and/or inhibit this ESA's entrepreneurial endeavors.;While qualitative and not intended for blanket generalizability across all ESAs and similar LEAs, this study offers a definition of how ESA stakeholders perceive and define entrepreneurship related to the identification of opportunities to develop and deliver relevant, sustainable programs, products, and services. Additionally, several suggestions for future research are offered to further conversations about ESAs and their ability to identify and pursue entrepreneurial opportunities.