State Superintendents

Ryan Walters, then-Republican candidate for Oklahoma State Superintendent, speaks at a rally, Nov. 1, 2022, in Oklahoma City.
Ryan Walters speaks at a rally on Nov. 1, 2022, in Oklahoma City as a candidate for state superintendent of public instruction. He won the race and has built a national profile for governing in the MAGA mold.
Sue Ogrocki/AP
Federal Q&A Oklahoma State Chief Ryan Walters: 'Trump's Won the Argument on Education'
The state schools chief's name comes up as Republicans discuss who could become education secretary in a second Trump administration.
Alyson Klein, October 18, 2024
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8 min read
Ryan Walters speaks at a rally, Nov. 1, 2022, in Oklahoma City. Republican State Superintendent Walters ordered public schools Thursday, June 27, 2024, to incorporate the Bible into lessons for grades 5 through 12, the latest effort by conservatives to incorporate religion into classrooms.
Oklahoma state Superintendent Ryan Walters speaks at a rally on Nov. 1, 2022, in Oklahoma City. Walters is now facing scrutiny from GOP lawmakers, who seek an investigation into his stewardship of education funding and his agency's transparency.
Sue Ogrocki/AP
States Oklahoma GOP Lawmakers Demand Investigation of Education Chief
They have concerns about Ryan Walters' stewardship of federal and state funds and his transparency on meetings and open-records requests.
Brooke Schultz, August 15, 2024
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4 min read
North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction Kirsten Baesler announces the gathering of a task force to look into future options the state has for the assessment of students during a press conference May 8, 2015, at the state Capitol in Bismarck, N.D.
North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction Kirsten Baesler announces the gathering of a task force to look into future options for student assessment during a press conference May 8, 2015, in Bismarck, N.D. Baesler, the nation's longest-serving state schools chief, is running for a fourth term, facing opponents with no experience serving in public schools.
Mike McCleary/The Bismarck Tribune via AP
States The Surprising Contenders for State Superintendent Offices This Year
Two elections for the top education leadership job feature candidates who have never worked in public schools.
Libby Stanford, June 17, 2024
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8 min read
Missouri Commissioner of Education Margie Vandeven talks to students participating in Future Farmers of America during an event in February 2024, in Jefferson City, Missouri.
Missouri Commissioner of Education Margie Vandeven talks to students participating in Future Farmers of America during an event in February 2024, in Jefferson City, Mo. Vandeven is stepping down from her position after more than eight years on the job.
Courtesy of the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
States Q&A 'Politics Does Not Belong in Education,' Says a Departing State Schools Chief
Improving student outcomes requires finding common ground, says Missouri's long-serving education commissioner, Margie Vandeven.
Libby Stanford, June 4, 2024
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9 min read
Dr. Carey Wright, the interim state superintendent for Maryland, discusses improving literacy instruction and achievement with Stephen Sawchuk, an assistant managing editor for Education Week, during the 2024 Leadership Symposium in Arlington, Va. on Friday, May 3, 2024.
Carey Wright, the state superintendent for Maryland, discusses improving literacy instruction and achievement during Education Week's Leadership Symposium in Arlington, Va., on May 3, 2024.
Sam Mallon/Education Week
Reading & Literacy The Key Parts of a 'Science of Reading' Transformation, According to One State Chief
Under Carey Wright's leadership, Mississippi pulled off a reading "miracle." She has a similar transformation in mind for Maryland.
Libby Stanford, May 6, 2024
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6 min read
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Laura Baker/Education Week with iStock/Getty
Artificial Intelligence 'The Backlash on AI Is Coming': 3 Early Lessons for K-12 Education
State education chiefs must figure out how to make the most of AI’s potential while steering around its problems.
Alyson Klein, March 22, 2024
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3 min read
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
School & District Management Opinion How One State Is Talking About School Improvement
The country's longest-serving state schools chief addresses what's changed in the field of education during her tenure.
Rick Hess, December 21, 2023
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6 min read
Tulsa Public Schools board members Jennettie Marshall, left, and president Stacey Woolley speak to the members of the State Board of Education during a meeting where the board voted 6-0 to approve accreditation with deficiencies for the Tulsa Public School district in the Oliver Hodge Building on Aug. 24, 2023, in Oklahoma City.
Tulsa Public Schools board members Jennettie Marshall, left, and president Stacey Woolley speak to the members of Oklahoma's board of education on Aug. 24, 2023. The board voted 6-0 to approve accreditation with deficiencies for the district, for now averting the possibility of state control.
Daniel Shular/Tulsa World via AP
School & District Management Tulsa Maintains Accreditation, Averting State Control—For Now
But the district's school board president issued an unusual rebuke to Oklahoma's top education official.
Evie Blad, August 24, 2023
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5 min read
Superintendent Deborah Gist, a woman with long brown hair wearing a black suit, sits at a desk as she speaks into a microphone.
Superintendent Deborah Gist speaks during a Tulsa Public Schools board meeting in Tulsa, Okla. on March 5, 2018.
Joey Johnson/Tulsa World via AP
School & District Management With a State Takeover on the Table, the Leader of Oklahoma’s Largest District Resigns
Gist cited her desire to avert state control—even as the looming vote has spurred teachers and students to activism.
Evie Blad, August 22, 2023
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7 min read
People gather for a rally organized by LGBTQ youth and adults in opposition to Senate Bill 150 and also to celebrate Trans Day of Visibility in Lexington, Ky., Friday, March 31, 2022.
People gather for a rally organized by LGBTQ youth and adults in opposition to Senate Bill 150 and also to celebrate Trans Day of Visibility in Lexington, Ky., Friday, March 31, 2022.
Silas Walker/Lexington Herald-Leader via TNS
States Ky. Education Commissioner Says ‘Dangerous’ Anti-LGBTQ Law Led to His Resignation
Kentucky’s top education leader said he didn’t want to enforce the new Senate Bill 150 that critics have called an anti-LGBTQ measure.
Valarie Honeycutt Spears, Lexington Herald-Leader, August 2, 2023
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2 min read
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
States Opinion Advice for State School Chiefs: Focus on All Kids at All Times
Through the pandemic and culture clashes, a state superintendent tried to keep her eye on her main mission—student success.
Rick Hess, July 27, 2023
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9 min read
Image of someone working on a data dashboard.
iStock/Getty
Equity & Diversity A State Said Districts Had to Report Spending on DEI. Some Defied the Mandate
Some of Oklahoma's largest school districts resisted a directive to detail their spending on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
Mark Lieberman & Eesha Pendharkar, July 18, 2023
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6 min read
Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters presides over a special state Board of Education meeting discuss to the U.S. Department of Education's "Proposed Change to its Title IX Regulations on Students' Eligibility for Athletic Teams", Wednesday, April 12, 2023, in Oklahoma City.
Oklahoma's superintendent of public instruction, Ryan Walters presides over a special state Board of Education meeting on April 12, 2023, in Oklahoma City to discuss the U.S. Department of Education's proposed changes to Title IX rules that would prohibit states from categorically banning transgender athletes from playing on teams that align with their gender identity. Walters was among four conservative state education chiefs who spoke at the national summit for the group Moms for Liberty on June 30.
Sue Ogrocki/AP
Federal Conservatives Renew Call to End U.S. Education Department at Moms for Liberty Summit
A panel of state schools chiefs criticized the federal agency at the summit in Philadelphia for policies that "indoctrinate" students.
Libby Stanford, July 5, 2023
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6 min read
Lessons on the dry-erase board in history teacher Kala Hester's classroom at Millwood High School on April 20, 2022 in Oklahoma City. Oklahoma schools will have to report all DEI-related spending, per a new rule.
Lessons on the dry-erase board in history teacher Kala Hester's classroom at Millwood High School on April 20, 2022 in Oklahoma City. Oklahoma schools will have to report all DEI-related spending, per a new rule.
Brett Deering for Education Week
Equity & Diversity State Chief Targets DEI Initiatives. Here's How District Leaders Are Responding
Some Oklahoma superintendents are concerned about the state's reporting requirement on DEI spending.
Eesha Pendharkar, May 23, 2023
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7 min read
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