Welcome to the Louisiana Department of Education
About the Louisiana Department of Education
The Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) provides guidance and support to all publicly funded early childhood centers and elementary and secondary schools in Louisiana. Specifically, the department provides tools and resources to schools and school systems to support classroom instruction, assessments, workforce development and college and career preparation. Additionally, the department provides families and the public with transparent reporting of center, school, and school system performance and quality through the Louisiana School Finder.
To stay connected with the LDOE and receive updates on our work and our resources, visit our newsroom and our newsletter subscriptions page.
Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE)
The LDOE is the administrative arm of the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE). BESE was established by the 1974 Louisiana Constitution. The Board is composed of 11 members: eight elected by the citizens of Louisiana’s eight BESE districts, and three appointed by the governor of Louisiana to represent the state at-large. Together, these members adopt and enact policies governing the elementary and secondary schools of Louisiana.
Louisiana's Education Priorities
Louisiana's education priorities maintain a clear focus on what matters most for academic achievement.
- Early childhood leading to kindergarten readiness
- Literacy instruction aligned to the Science of Reading
- Math instruction from foundational to advanced skills
- Opportunities ensuring a meaningful high school experience
- An effective teacher for every student
- Expand educational choice for students and families
Request Information
If you have questions, including public records requests, questions about licensure, or other types of inquiries, please see our contact us page.
Louisiana State Superintendent
Dr. Cade Brumley
Dr. Brumley is a Louisiana native who has dedicated his career to serving children, parents, and educators.
Back to the Basics
Louisiana's Education Priorities
From being ready to learn on the first day of kindergarten to thriving in a career, college
Employment Opportunities
Careers at LDOE
Join the Louisiana Department of Education as we strive for excellence.
Policy Guidance
State Advisory Groups
The LDOE facilitates over a dozen councils, committees, task forces, and other groups.
BATON ROUGE, La. – The Louisiana Department of Education continues to work with our partners at the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) and Children’s Hospital of New Orleans (CHNOLA) to review the latest CDC guidelines surrounding school operations. On July 8, 2021, the Department released "Ready to Achieve!" a set of updated operational guidance for K-12 school systems to use in the 2021-2022 school year. This document serves as a guidebook to best practices for a safe return to in-person learning for the upcoming school year.
State Superintendent, Dr. Cade Brumley said, “Our school operational guidance serves as best practices. These are not mandates. The State of Louisiana has not issued a mandate relative to the use of facial coverings by students or faculty on a school campus or inside a school facility. School system leaders should continue to work with the local medical community to determine what works best based on local context. It’s also important to understand that our guidance is a blueprint based on the best information available now.”
Guidelines within this document address the following mitigation measures to prevent COVID-19 in school settings:
- Group sizes within classroom settings should be determined by the CDC’s most recent recommendation of 3 feet physical distance between students.
- Policies related to the use of facial coverings within the school setting should be adopted by local school governing authorities. LDH’s current recommendation, based on CDC guidelines, is that all unvaccinated adults and students in grades 3 through 12 should wear a face covering to the greatest extent possible and practical within the local community context.
The LDOE has also communicated the Federal requirements of the January 29, 2021, CDCOrder that requires face masks to be worn by all people while on public transportation, which includes all passengers and all personnel operating conveyances, (regardless of capacity) traveling into, within, or out of the United States and U.S. territories. This Order includes school buses.
In addition to the Ready to Achieve! guidelines, the LDOE maintains a continuously updated FAQ document that addresses additional questions surrounding best practices for school operations. The Department is committed to ensuring students and faculty a safe and successful 2021-2022 in-person school year and will continually update the guidance to reflect CDC guidance surrounding mitigation strategies within the school setting.# # # # # #