About ADE
The mission of the Arizona Department of Education is to serve Arizona’s education community, ensuring every child has access to an excellent education.
The Arizona Department of Education and its chief position, a publicly elected state Superintendent of Public Instruction, were created upon the ratification of the Arizona Constitution. The Superintendent of Public Instruction and the agency’s staff oversee the K-12 public education system in Arizona.
Constitutional Role of Superintendent of Public Instruction
From a fiduciary standpoint, the Superintendent of Public Instruction is charged with executing various education laws and State Board of Education policies; accurately distributing almost $6 billion in education funding to Arizona’s public school system and helping schools comply with the many national and state laws and State Board of Education policies.
Equally important is the state superintendent’s leadership role. By virtue of this constitutional, elected public office, the state superintendent serves on all statewide public education boards, including First Things First, the Arizona Board of Education, and the Arizona Board of Regents – governing bodies which, in aggregate, encompass a pre-kindergarten to graduate school perspective. This unique opportunity allows the state superintendent to develop best practices and strategies which take into account the needs of our children at every stage of the process: from birth to college to the workforce.