Learn About the State Department of Education

New Jersey Department of Education

The New Jersey Department of Education is headquartered in Trenton. Administrative oversight of the Governmental division was altered in 2010 following the well-publicized failure of the NJ Department of Education to secure funding from the source of the Federally funded Race to the Top program, resulting in Acting Commissioner Bret Schundler being removed from the post in favor of the new administrator Rochelle Hendricks assuming responsibility at the Department’s offices.

California Department of Education

The California Department of Education is headed by Superintendent Jack O’Donnell, whose administrative oversight extends over various divisions including the Orange County Department of Education. The California Department of Education administers different performance indices according to which the academic levels of students in California can be measured according to the needs of parent and educators. The California Department of Education is based out of the City of Sacramento.

Ohio Department of Education

The Ohio Department of Education has its headquarters in the location of Columbus, Ohio, where this division of the State Government carries out functions related to the administering and funding of state-provided public education. Deborah S. Desisle is the Superintendent of the Ohio Department of Education, under which it provides such proficiency tests to students as the Ohio Graduation Test, the Ohio Achievement Test, and the Ohio Test of English Language Acquisition.

Minnesota Department of Education

The Minnesota Department of Education carries out proficiency testing as is intended to indicate the performance levels of the students involved in the public school system of the State of Minnesota. The MN Department of Education is also responsible for ensuring that the policy of individual school districts remains in adherence to the generally administered standards for student achievement as have been passed on a State-wide level, such as the Minnesota Academic Standards and Minnesota English Language Proficiency Standards.

New York State Department of Education

The New York State Department of Education is responsible for both elementary and higher education activities in the State of New York, as well as various subjects and activities as are considered to pertain to education in some way. In this way, the NY State Department of Education has been given oversight over such areas as the New York State Library, the New York State Archives, and the Public Broadcasting Office.

Washington Department of Education

The Washington Department of Education is more technically identified as the Washington State Board of Education. The offices of this division of the Washington State Government can be located in Olympia. Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn heads the Washington Department of Education and administers its oversight in terms of such issues as ensuring adherence to required levels of proficiency and requiring that individual school districts demonstrate compliance with general standards.

New York City Department of Education

The New York City Department of Education, or NYC DOE, represents one of the largest public school systems in the whole of the country. In this regard, the Department of Education in NYC has been observed to provide for the schooling of some 1.1 million students. In the year 2007, the operating budget for the New York City Department of Education was placed at $17 billion, while 80,000 teachers are employed in the system.

Indiana Department of Education

The Indiana Department of Education is headed by Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Tony Bennett, the chair of the eleven-member Indiana State Board of Education. The Indiana Department of Education can, accordingly, control the administrative policy through which schools and school districts in the State are run. However, it has less control over the curriculum used in the schools, acting instead to ensure that schools maintain compliance with the standards for overall academic performance.

Arizona Department of Education

At 1535 West Jefferson Street in Phoenix, the headquarters of the Arizona Department of Education are based for the purpose of administering policy as it pertains to the public schools in the State. The Arizona Department of Education is concerned with ten possible categories for student achievement, which have been specified to include social studies, mathematics, reading proficiency, non-English language instruction, art, health, technology, and workplace skills, as provided for through the AZ Academic Standards Unit and K-12 Literacy.

Georgia Department of Education

The Georgia Department of Education, also referred to as GaDOE, is administered by State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox, who has been acting in the position since 2007 after being selected by the State’s voters. Inquiries and concerns can be directed to the staff of the Georgia Department of Education at the Division’s offices in Atlanta. Overall, the Department employs a labor force of 380 employees, which are divided between five offices.

Virginia Department of Education

The Virginia Department of Education is headed by the Superintendent of Public Instruction, who as of 2010 was Dr. Patricia I. Wright. Dr. Wright also serves as Secretary of the Virginia Board of Education, which is comprised of eight additional members. The VA Department of Education is responsible for such statewide educational issues as allowing for the No Child Left Behind Act to be carried out in regard to academic levels of performance.

Connecticut Department of Education

The Connecticut (CT) State Department of Education administers academic levels of performance and the provison of funding in regard to schools throughout the State. As such, the CT Department of Education has authority over and responsibility for 166 different school districts in Connecticut. The CT State Department of Education has headquarters in the Hartford State Office Building and is headed by State Education Commissioner Mark McQuillan.

Pennsylvania Department of Education

The Pennsylvania Department of Education is under the authority of Secretary of Education Thomas E. Gluck and is based out of Harrisburg, PA. The PA Department of Education organization dates back to the 1834-created Common School System, administered by the Commonwealth Secretary, and in 1837 was placed instead under the Superintendent of Public Instruction. In 1969, the organization was renamed the Pennsylvania Department of Education under the authority of the Governor and General Assembly.

Oklahoma Department of Education

The Oklahoma State Department of Education is administered by the State School Superintendent and Secretary of Education and is based out of the Oklahoma City-located Oliver Hodge Building at 2500 North Lincoln Blvd. The Oklahoma State Department of Education was first created as an agency within the State Government in 1971. The Oklahoma Department of Education bears the general responsibility for administering public schools in the state, with the exception of those placed instead under the Oklahoma Department of Corrections.

South Carolina Department of Education

The South Carolina Department of Education is based out of Columbia at 1429 Senate Street under the administration of State Superintendent Jim Rex. The performance level of South Carolina public schools, as a whole and in terms of their students, are addressed in the Quick Fact reports compiled by the SC Department of Education and made available to the public on the South Carolina Department of Education website.

Alabama Department of Education

The Alabama State Department of Education is based out of Montgomery and is placed under the authority of Secretary and Executive Officer Joseph B. Morton and the other eight members of the State Board of Education. Meetings on issues facing the Alabama State Department of Education are held in the Gordon Persons Building, which are held each month. The State website contains an Accountability Reporting System on public schools.

West Virginia Department of Education

The West Virginia Department of Education is based out of Charleston and is under the authority of Dr. Steven L. Paine, the Superintendent of Schools and a member of the state’s 12 member State Board of Education, along with the Chancellor of Community and Technical College Education, Chancellor of the Education Policy Commission, and nine members appointed to the Board by the Governor. The WV Department of Education administers the Global21 Initiative.

Massachusetts Department of Education

The Massachusetts Department of Education is based out of Malden, MA, at 75 Pleasant St., and is administered by Maura O. Banta. The Massachusetts Department of Education is responsible for the licensure of teaching professionals within the State and requires public schools in the State to adhere to the State’s set standards for education. Concerns and queries related to the Massachusetts Department of Education can be addressed at (781) 338-3000.

Florida Department of Education

The Florida Department of Education (FL DOE) is headquartered in Tallahassee at 325 West Gaines Building in the Turlington Building, and is administered by the Governor-appointed Commissioner of Education Eric J. Smith. A 1998 change to the Florida Department of Education system altered the State Constitution in order to give the Governor’s office more direct authority over the Department, shifting procedure from a previous practice of having the Commissioner elected by the State’s voters.

Mississippi Department of Education

The Mississippi Department of Education is under the authority of Dr. Tom Burham, the State Superintendent of Education, and is based out of Jackson. In order to stem the occurrence of bullying in the State’s public school system, the MS Department of Education announced in late September 2010 a “Fear Stops Here” initiative designed to change the culture within Mississippi schools. The Mississippi Department of Education is also responsible for administering the School Improvement Grant.

Texas Department of Education

The Texas Department of Education is technically called the Texas Education Agency (TEA). The TEA is based out of Austin in the William B. Travis State Office Building and is in charge of administering public education in 20 individual educational districts. The Harris County Department of Education, for one, is non-profit and tax-assisted, with a workforce of 1500 and a committment to public education in the area going back to 1889.

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