Standards
Your Guide to the Departments of Education - Part 3
By Cynthia Kirkeby
May 26, 2004, 21:11 PST

US Departments of Education

Your Guide to the Departments of Education

Part 3

State Boards of Education

Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Information from school finances, to standards, to school home pages is available on this department’s website. Don’t let the opening pages of the Fast Find Programs & Services A-Z fool you, click on any letter and find an exhaustive list of programs.

Address: PO Box 480

Jefferson City, MO 65102

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OPI- Montana Office of Public Instruction

The majority of the information available on Montana’s site is related to curriculum standards and statistics. There is also information available for teachers regarding licensing requirements.

Address: P.O. Box 202501

Helena, Montana 59620-2501

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Nebraska Department of Education

Nebraska has extensive standards, and frameworks (lessons build from those standards) all of which are readily accessible from this website. Along with important reports such as the State Report Card, you can read about Nebraska’s Teacher of the Year.

Address: 301 Centennial Mall South

Lincoln, NE 68509

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Nevada Department of Education

Learn about Nevada’s curriculum standards, their new Reading Excellence Program, or download a list of all of the public and private schools in the state. Although informational links to specifics programs appears limited, background information on those programs is available with contact names and emails for each one.

Address: 700 East Fifth Street

Carson City, NV 89701-5096

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New Hampshire Department of Education

The Commissioner's Office is divided into Policy Development and Governance & Standards. The Policy and Budget section is responsible for coordinating Department-wide initiatives, such as the statewide assessment program. The Governance and Standards section is responsible for coordinating with school administrative units, local school districts, and private agencies and organizations in the development of state and local regulations.

There are quick links to the most requested information on their site, as well as things like district profiles and NH school websites.

Address: State Office Park South, 101 Pleasant St.

Concord, NH 03301-3860

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New Jersey Department of Education

Among the other rich resources available from the State of New Jersey, there is a special section just for parent’s called the Parents’ Circle which is listed as “a complete guide to your children’s education.”

Address: P.O. Box 500, Trenton

New Jersey 08625-0500

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State of New Mexico Department of Education

This site provides information and resources for New Mexico's primary and secondary school community. They also have a jump off link for information on higher education: universities and colleges. Among the other interesting resources available at this site is a document called The Parent and Community Involvement Template, which can be downloaded in Word Format.

Address: 300 Don Gaspar

Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501-2786

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New York State Education Department

The New York State Education Department supervises all educational institutions in the State, certifies teachers and practitioners of thirty-eight professions. They also develop and approve school curricula; accredit college and university programs; and allocate State and federal financial aid to schools. Their Curriculum Resource Guides are great resources for parents and teachers alike.

Address: 89 Washington Avenue

Albany, New York 12234

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North Carolina Public Schools

North Carolina State Board of Education

The State Board of Education in North Carolina is charged with supervising and administering "the free public school system and the educational funds provided for its support." This is where you’ll find the curriculum guidelines called the Standard Course of Study.

Department of Public Instruction

This department is where you’ll find more reports and statistics as well as a listing of the schools in NC.

Address: 301 N. Wilmington St.

Raleigh, NC 27601

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North Dakota Department of Public Instruction

The mission of the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction is to provide leadership for a comprehensive system of educational opportunities for all people of North Dakota. The Department of Public Instruction is committed to provide assistance to, and serving as a resource for, all school districts and related education organizations in North Dakota. They have extensive programs, services, and resources listed, and they have information for teachers and parents on grants, standards, and legislation.

Address: 600 E. Boulevard Ave., Dept. 201

Bismarck, North Dakota 58505-0440

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Ohio Department of Education

Ohio’s Department of Education is designed to allow individuals to navigate the site based on their interests: Line of Business. Visitor Type, or Topic. Each track will lead you to areas of interest. We especially liked the Visitor type, which takes you to topics that are of specific relevance for each individual looking for resources.

Address: 25 South Front Street

Columbus, Ohio 43215-4183

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Oklahoma State Department of Education

We liked Oklahoma’s mission statement: “Our mission is to improve student success through: service to schools, parents and students; leadership for education reform; and regulation/ deregulation of state and federal laws to provide accountability while removing any barriers to student success.” Their site reflects this commitment by offering user-friendly resources for, not only administrators and teachers, but parents as well. Of particular note are the resources available for home-schooling parents.

Address: 2500 North Lincoln Boulevard

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73105-4599

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