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
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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
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Policy Guidance
State Advisory Groups
The LDOE facilitates over a dozen councils, committees, task forces, and other groups.
(BATON ROUGE, LA) - Louisiana is implementing wide-ranging solutions proposed by State Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley to help eliminate classroom distractions for teachers. The Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) approved new policies today based on recommendations from Dr. Brumley’s Let Teachers Teach workgroup. Set to take effect before the end of the school year, the policies will significantly reduce the number of trainings teachers are required to repeat every year, tighten student discipline, and give effective educators more freedom over lesson planning.
“Louisiana is making a stand to take the teaching profession back for educators, students, and parents,” said Dr. Brumley. “I applaud BESE for helping us remove disruptions so teachers can actually teach and students can actually learn.”
Let Teachers Teach is a workgroup of over two dozen teachers from across the state. They developed a set of 18 recommendations PDF centered on reducing excessive training and paperwork, restoring the art of teaching, and removing classroom disruptions. Highlights of the policies approved by BESE during their August meeting include:
- Decoupling student behavior and the school accountability system. Student suspension rates will no longer be used to identify schools needing intervention.
- Ensuring teachers have the right to have a student removed from the classroom immediately when their behavior prevents the orderly instruction of other students or poses a threat. A new discipline policy impacts the Teacher Bill of Rights and changes how school leaders must respond to persistent disruptions during class.
- Streamlining and reducing dozens of non-academic trainings and lessons teachers had been required by the state to repeat annually. Most will shift to a “one-and-done” approach where teachers complete the training one time, while others will be folded into other resources or support opportunities.
- Increasing professional autonomy for effective educators. Teachers who consistently demonstrate success will be provided more freedom with teaching practices and lesson planning.
“Our unanimous decision today reflects an intentional approach to improve student outcomes,” said BESE President Ronnie Morris. “By eliminating redundant training and improving educator support, we are optimizing the environment for both teaching and learning, which are essential to academic success.”
The Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) collaborated with multiple stakeholders in the development of the policies. The LDOE and BESE have outlined actions around all 18 recommendations. These range from new state laws, policy changes, and guidance for local school systems.