State education agency

A state education agency or state department of education is the state-level government organization within each U.S. state or territory responsible for education, including providing information, resources, and technical assistance on educational matters to schools and residents.

In all states but Hawaii, primary and secondary education (collectively known as K–12) are provided by school districts, while the state education agency handles only matters of statewide concern such as curriculum standards. In the state of Hawaii and all inhabited federal territories, the state education agency or the equivalent territorial government agencies are responsible for directly operating primary and secondary schools.

Different U.S. states use different job titles for the person in charge of education in the state government. These titles include Secretary of Education, State Superintendent of Education, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Commissioner of Education, and Director of Education.[1] Thirteen states have an education executive directly elected by voters, but in most states they are appointed, by the governor, state legislature, or a state board.

State education agencies (SEAs)

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The following are state education agencies as identified by the Council of Chief State School Officers.

State State agency Chief state school officer Elected Service began Name
Alabama Alabama Department of Education Alabama Superintendent of Education No 2018 Eric Mackey
Alaska Alaska Department of Education & Early Development Alaska Commissioner of Education & Early Development No 2016 Michael Johnson
Arizona Arizona Department of Education Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Yes 2023 Tom Horne
Arkansas Arkansas Department of Education Arkansas Commissioner of Education No 2015 Johnny Key
California California Department of Education California Superintendent of Public Instruction Yes 2019 Tony Thurmond
Colorado Colorado Department of Education Colorado Commissioner of Education No 2016 Katy Anthes
Connecticut Connecticut Department of Education Connecticut Commissioner of Education No 2021 Charlene Russell-Tucker
Delaware Delaware Department of Education Delaware Secretary of Education No 2022 Mark Holodick
Florida Florida Department of Education Florida Commissioner of Education No 2022 Manny Díaz Jr.
Georgia Georgia Department of Education State Superintendent of Schools Yes 2015 Richard Woods
Hawaii Hawaii Department of Education Hawaii Superintendent of Education No 2021 Keith Hayashi
Idaho Idaho State Department of Education Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction Yes 2023 Debbie Critchfield
Illinois Illinois State Board of Education Illinois Superintendent of Education No 2019 Carmen Ayala
Indiana Indiana Department of Education Indiana Secretary of Education No 2021 Katie Jenner
Iowa Iowa Department of Education Iowa Director of Education No 2024 McKenzie Snow
Kansas Kansas State Department of Education Kansas Commissioner of Education No 2015 Randy Watson
Kentucky Kentucky Department of Education Kentucky Commissioner of Education No 2020 Jason Glass
Louisiana Louisiana Department of Education Louisiana Superintendent of Education No 2020 Cade Brumley
Maine Maine Department of Education Maine Commissioner of Education No 2019 Pender Makin
Maryland Maryland State Department of Education Maryland State Superintendent of Schools No 2023 Carey Wright
Massachusetts Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Massachusetts Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education No 2018 Jeffrey Riley
Michigan Michigan Department of Education Michigan Superintendent of Public Instruction No 2019 Michael Rice
Minnesota Minnesota Department of Education Minnesota Commissioner of Education No 2021 Heather Mueller
Mississippi Mississippi Department of Education Mississippi Superintendent of Education No 2024 Lance Evans
Missouri Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Missouri Commissioner of Education No 2019 Margie Vandeven
Montana Montana Office of Public Instruction Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction Yes 2017 Elsie Arntzen
Nebraska Nebraska Department of Education Nebraska Commissioner of Education No 2014 Matthew Blomstedt
Nevada Nevada Department of Education Nevada Superintendent of Public Instruction No 2015 Jhone Ebert
New Hampshire New Hampshire Department of Education New Hampshire Commissioner of Education No 2017 Frank Edelblut
New Jersey New Jersey Department of Education New Jersey Commissioner of Education No 2024 Kevin Dehmer
New Mexico New Mexico Public Education Department New Mexico Secretary of Education No 2022 Kurt Steinhaus
New York New York State Education Department New York State Commissioner of Education No 2021 Betty Rosa
North Carolina North Carolina Department of Public Instruction North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction Yes 2021 Catherine Truitt
North Dakota North Dakota Department of Public Instruction North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction Yes 2013 Kirsten Baesler
Ohio Ohio Department of Education Ohio Superintendent of Public Instruction No 2023 Paul Craft
Oklahoma Oklahoma State Department of Education Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Yes 2023 Ryan Walters
Oregon Oregon Department of Education Oregon Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction[a] No 2023 Charlene Williams
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Department of Education Pennsylvania Secretary of Education No 2023 Khalid Mumin
Rhode Island Rhode Island Department of Education Rhode Island Commissioner of Education No 2019 Angélica Infante-Green
South Carolina South Carolina Department of Education South Carolina Superintendent of Education Yes 2015 Molly Spearman
South Dakota South Dakota Department of Education South Dakota Secretary of Education No 2020 Tiffany Sanderson
Tennessee Tennessee Department of Education Tennessee Commissioner of Education No 2023 Lizzette Gonzalez Reynolds
Texas Texas Education Agency Texas Commissioner of Education No 2015 Mike Morath
Utah Utah State Office of Education Utah Superintendent of Public Instruction No 2016 Sydnee Dickson
Vermont Vermont Agency of Education Vermont Secretary of Education No 2024 Zoie Saunders
Virginia Virginia Department of Education Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction No 2023 Lisa Coons
Washington Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction Yes 2017 Chris Reykdal
West Virginia West Virginia Department of Education West Virginia State Superintendent of Schools No 2023 Michele Blatt
Wisconsin Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction Yes 2021 Jill Underly
Wyoming Wyoming Department of Education Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction Yes 2022 Brian Schroeder
American Samoa American Samoa Department of Education American Samoa Director of Education No 2021 Samasoni Asaeli
District of Columbia District of Columbia Office of the State Superintendent of Education District of Columbia Superintendent of Education No 2021 Christina Grant
Guam Guam Department of Education Guam Superintendent of Education No 2016 Jon Fernandez
Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Public School System CNMI Commissioner of Education No 2019 Alfred Ada
Puerto Rico Puerto Rico Department of Education Puerto Rico Secretary of Education No 2019 Eligio Hernández Pérez
U.S. Virgin Islands U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Education U.S. Virgin Islands Commissioner of Education No 2019 Racquel Berry-Benjamin

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Under state law, the Governor of Oregon serves as the Superintendent of Public Instruction ex officio, but the Deputy Superintendent is the Director of the Oregon Department of Education

References

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  1. ^ "Chief State School Officer Addresses", Council of Chief State School Officers. Retrieved 11/1/08.
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