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.
