Providing All Louisiana Students with Opportunities to Learn

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Welcome to the Louisiana Department of Education

The Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) serves over 800,000 students in a growing portfolio of educational settings. As the state agency that oversees early childhood and K-12 education in Louisiana, the LDOE is committed to providing every child with the opportunities they need to graduate high school ready to succeed in a career, college, or service. The LDOE is responsible for a variety of services such as policy and regulations, funding, school oversight, research, and training.

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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

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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.

Meet Dr. Brumley

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

Learn about our priorities

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Careers at LDOE

Join the Louisiana Department of Education as we strive for excellence.

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Policy Guidance

State Advisory Groups

The LDOE facilitates over a dozen councils, committees, task forces, and other groups.

Learn more about our education groups

Commission recommends annual investment of $15 million to continue work launched in 2020

BATON ROUGE, La. -- The Louisiana Early Literacy Commission submitted an addendum to the January 2020 report commissioned by the Louisiana Legislature. The report addresses the state of primary grade reading in Louisiana, seeking to evaluate how reading is taught to young children and how such teaching might be improved. In the addendum, the Commission strongly reaffirms its January 2020 goals and its recommendation of $15 million of annual state investment in early literacy.

Since the Commission’s initial report, the Department utilized $2 million of state funding to develop a K-2 Literacy Coaching Model. This pilot is being used this school year to define a scope of training; develop metrics for program implementation; and develop standard protocols for data analysis, coaching schedules, observations and feedback, professional learning and program evaluation.

The Commission is seeking an annual investment of $15 million to continue the work launched this school year. This investment will substantially increase the number of literacy coaches for the 2021-2022 school year with a long-term goal of having a school-level literacy coach in every CIR and UIR school to support K-2 reading teachers by 2024-2025.

This investment will also support the design of a K-2 accountability system that drives literacy achievement for those children and bridges the gap between the early childhood education and 3-12 accountability system currently in place. This goal is to pilot, refine and scale K-2 accountability to reach full implementation by no later than 2022-2023, with ratings with stakes attached no later than fall 2023.

"We have made progress in early literacy as a result of the initial appropriation of $2 million during the 2020 legislative session," said State Superintendent Dr. Cade Brumley. "While this is a great start, we must do more to provide the support and resources needed to ensure every Louisiana child becomes a proficient reader."

In order to ensure all Louisiana students are proficient readers by the end of third grade, the Commission reaffirms the following goals:

Every teacher uses a high-quality curriculum to teach students the foundations of reading and language and literacy.
Every student who struggles to read receives timely research-based literacy interventions.
Every school has a culture in which all teachers are responsible for and equipped to deliver effective literacy instruction.
Every school leader maximizes the use of time and personnel through scheduling and collaborative planning.
Every teacher effectively uses evidence-based practices to meet the literacy needs of all students.
Every educator preparation program emphasizes evidence-based literacy practices.
Every school system implements a comprehensive literacy assessment plan that includes valid and reliable assessment tools used for different purposes at different times during the school year.
Every teacher uses literacy assessment data to monitor students' progress and inform instruction.
Every school community expands opportunities for parents and families to be engaged in their children's literacy development.

The Louisiana Early Literacy Commission comprises state education leaders and policymakers, educators and parents. It was established by the Louisiana Legislature during the 2019 regular session, and it convened for the first time in September 2019.

The report addendum was submitted to the Louisiana Governor, the House and Senate Education Committees, Board of Regents, Children's Cabinet and the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

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