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California Department of Education

California Department of Education

Overview
The California Department of Education is a California
California
California is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...

 agency that oversees public education
Public school (government funded)
In most of the world, excluding England and Wales and some Commonwealth countries, a public school is an educational institution that is funded with tax revenue and most commonly administered by a local government or government agency...

. The Department oversees funding, testing, and holds local educational agencies accountable for student achievement. Its stated mission is to provide leadership, assistance, oversight, and resources [in form of teaching and teaching material] so that every Californian has access to a good education.

The State Board of Education
California State Board of Education
The California State Board of Education is the governing and policy-making body of the California Department of Education. The State Board of Education sets K-12 education policy in the areas of standards, instructional materials, assessment, and accountability...

 (SBE) is the governing and policy-making body.
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Encyclopedia
The California Department of Education is a California
California
California is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...

 agency that oversees public education
Public school (government funded)
In most of the world, excluding England and Wales and some Commonwealth countries, a public school is an educational institution that is funded with tax revenue and most commonly administered by a local government or government agency...

. The Department oversees funding, testing, and holds local educational agencies accountable for student achievement. Its stated mission is to provide leadership, assistance, oversight, and resources [in form of teaching and teaching material] so that every Californian has access to a good education.

The State Board of Education
California State Board of Education
The California State Board of Education is the governing and policy-making body of the California Department of Education. The State Board of Education sets K-12 education policy in the areas of standards, instructional materials, assessment, and accountability...

 (SBE) is the governing and policy-making body. The department is headed by the California State Superintendent of Public Instruction, or SPI, which is a nonpartisan (originally partisan) elected executive office position. Superintendents serve four-year terms. The current Superintendent of Public Instruction is Jack O'Connell
Jack O'Connell
Jack T. O'Connell is the current California State Superintendent of Public Instruction, having elected to the post in November 2002 with 61% of the vote...

. The Superintendent serves as the state’s chief spokesperson for public schools, and provides education policy and direction to local school districts. He also serves as an ex officio member of governing boards of the state’s higher education system.

List of California State Superintendents of Public Instruction

Name Party Date Assumed Office
John G. Marvin D
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world. In the U.S...

 
Jan. 1, 1851
Paul K. Hubbs D Jan. 1, 1854
Andrew J. Moulder D Jan. 1, 1857
John Swett Union Jan. 2, 1863
Oscar Penn Fitzgerald
Oscar Penn Fitzgerald
Oscar Penn Fitzgerald was a Methodist clergyman, journalist and educator. He served as California Superintendent of Public Instruction and was elected a Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South in 1890....

D Dec. 2, 1867
Henry N. Bolander R
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP, despite being the younger of the two major parties. In the U.S...

 
Dec. 4, 1871
Ezra S. Carr R Dec. 6, 1875
Frederick M. Campbell R Jan. 5, 1880
William T. Welcker D Jan. 8, 1883
Ira G. Hoitt R Jan. 3, 1887
J.W. Anderson R Jan. 5, 1891
Samuel T. Black R Jan. 7, 1895
Charles T. Meredith D Sep. 24, 1898
Thomas J. Kirk R Jan. 2, 1899
Edward Hyatt R Jan. 7, 1907
Will C. Wood NP  Jan. 6, 1919
William John Cooper NP Jan. 20, 1927
Vierling C. Kersey NP Feb. 11, 1929
Walter F. Dexter NP Feb. 1, 1937
Roy E. Simpson NP Nov. 13, 1945
Max Rafferty
Max Rafferty
Maxwell Lewis Rafferty was an author, educator, and politician.-Early life:...

NP Jan. 7, 1963
Wilson C. Riles NP Jan. 4, 1971
Bill Honig NP Jan. 3, 1983
Vacancy (no superintendent)   Feb. 24, 1993
Delaine Eastin
Delaine Eastin
Delaine Eastin is a California politician. She served as the California State Superintendent of Public Instruction from 1995 to 2003. A native Californian, Eastin received her bachelor's degree from the University of California, Davis, and her master's degree in political science from the...

NP Jan. 2, 1995
Jack O'Connell
Jack O'Connell
Jack T. O'Connell is the current California State Superintendent of Public Instruction, having elected to the post in November 2002 with 61% of the vote...

NP Jan. 5, 2003

See also

  • California Commission on Teacher Credentialing
    California Commission on Teacher Credentialing
    California Commission on Teacher Credentialing is an independent agency created in 1970 by the Ryan Act and is the oldest of the autonomous state standards boards in the nation. The mission of the CCTC is to facilitate the credentialing of California's teachers. The commission issues and renews...

  • School accreditation
    School accreditation
    Educational accreditation is a type of quality assurance process under which services and operations of an educational institution or program are evaluated by an external body to determine if applicable standards are met...

Colleges and Universities
  • California Community College System
  • California State University
    California State University
    The California State University is one of three public higher education systems in the state of California, the other two being the University of California system and the California Community College system. It is incorporated as The Trustees of the California State University...

     System
  • University of California
    University of California
    The University of California is a public university system in the state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University system...

    System

External links