Kentucky Department of Education

The Kentucky Department of Education is a service agency of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The department provides resources and guidance to Kentucky's public schools and districts as they implement the state's K-12 education requirements. The department also serves as the state liaison for federal education requirements and funding opportunities.

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. The Bureau of Operations and Support Services and the Bureau of Learning and Results Services are headed by deputy commissioners. Offices within those bureaus are administered by associate commissioners, and divisions within those offices are administered by division directors. See a copy of our Organizational Chart.

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.