The department is an agency of the state Education Cabinet. It is led by an appointed Commissioner of Education, who answers to the 11-member Kentucky Board of Education. Offices are administered by associate commissioners, and divisions within those offices are administered by division directors. See a copy of our Organizational Chart .
The Kentucky Department of Education’s mission is to prepare all Kentucky students for next-generation learning, work and citizenship by engaging schools, districts, families and communities through excellent leadership, service and support.
The Kentucky Board of Education also serves as the board for the Kentucky School for the Blind and Kentucky School for the Deaf, and Department of Education staff serve as resources for those schools.
The department has approximately 400 Frankfort-based employees.
The department's major activities include:
• administering the statewide assessment and accountability system;
• providing technical assistance to schools and districts in the areas of finance, management and curriculum;
• providing support and information to the Kentucky Board of Education as it promulgates state education regulations;
• overseeing the state's education technology system; and
• monitoring school and district compliance with state and federal laws.