The State Board of Education is charged with the general supervision and governance of Idaho's public educational institutions, agencies and school system. The Board is comprised of eight members, seven appointed by the Governor, and the voter-elected Superintendent of Public Instruction. The Office of the State Board of Education implements Board policies, and oversees the public higher education institutions and the Board's executive agencies. The Board's strategic plan guides its policy making decisions, and its current initiatives, which include Next Steps Idaho, Complete College Idaho, STEM education, College Application Week, Direct Admissions, and implementing the Governor's Task Force for Improving Education recommendations. As Idaho's single governing body for public kindergarten through college education, the State Board of Education continually works towards an educational system without barriers within or between the various organizational components. The State Board of Education has been effective in influencing major reform in education providing critical linkages between K-12 and postsecondary education.