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.
Federal Funding, Unrelated to COVID-19, to Help Schools Implement Evidence-Based Plans for Improvement During 2020-2021 School Year
"Long before COVID-19 closed school facilities to students, school systems were planning for the 2020-2021 school year. The evidence-based plans for improvement they submitted in February remain crucial," said Acting State Superintendent Beth Scioneaux. "Today's action shows our schools remain committed to improving and ensuring every child, every day, has access to high quality learning. Louisiana believes in its school improvement strategy, and we are moving forward with it, despite the obstacles we face."
- Comprehensive Intervention Required: consistently low overall performance and/or graduation rates;
- Urgent Intervention Required-Academics: consistently low performance among certain groups of students; and
- Urgent Intervention Required-Discipline: chronic issues with student behavior.
In 2019, 537 schools were identified as academically struggling and 33 were identified for discipline. Of those, 270 schools were identified as in need of comprehensive improvement; 467 schools were identified as in need of urgent intervention due to challenges with specific groups of students; and 164 were identified as in need of urgent intervention due to higher than average discipline rates. Schools can have multiple labels.
- Boost science instruction. More than 100 school systems received a total of $10.9 million in competitive funding to adopt and implement high-quality science curriculum, as well as provide professional development to educators, including science content leaders, on how to use the lessons and tools in their classrooms;
- Provide specialized support to students with disabilities. Seventy school systems received a total of $800,000 in competitive funding to provide educators with training on specialized supports for students with disabilities;
- Support the expansion of high-quality early childhood care and education. Nearly 40 lead agencies, which act as liaisons between the state education department and their local networks of early childhood education providers, will receive a total of $3.6 million in competitive funding to adopt and implement high-quality curriculum, as well train educators on how to properly use it in their classrooms; and
- Increase school-based capacity by growing local Content Leader, Intervention Content Leader, and Mentor Teacher cadres. Content Leaders provide content- and curriculum-specific professional development to new and current teachers in their school system. Intervention Content Leaders collaborate with all teachers to support core instruction for students who need additional support. Mentor Teachers coach and support new teachers and aspiring teachers who are completing their yearlong, classroom-based residencies. All roles are an important step in the leadership pipeline for talented local educators and require specialized training. A BESE committee also today approved new entities to provide this training.
The Department will support school systems and schools with implementation of their plans starting at the 2020 Teacher Leader Summit: The Virtual Series where various sessions will be closely aligned to the key strategies outlined in the approved plans. The Summit will take place May 28 through June 5. To date, more than 6,000 educators have registered to attend.
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