Iowa Department of Education: Structure, Oversight, and the Pursuit of Educational Excellence

The Iowa Department of Education plays a pivotal role in shaping the state's educational landscape. From pre-kindergarten through 12th grade public and nonpublic schools, area education agencies, community colleges, and teacher preparation programs, the Department provides oversight to the entire state education system. The Department works diligently to remove barriers for pursuing education beyond high school. The Department also establishes and enforces rigorous standards and licensing for Iowa educational practitioners to effectively address the needs of students. Following state alignment of agencies, the Department now includes Iowa College Aid, the Board of Educational Examiners, IowaPBS, the Iowa School for the Deaf, the Iowa School for the Blind and Visually Impaired and the Governor's STEM Advisory Council.

Leadership and Vision

The Department director is appointed by the Governor to serve a four-year term, subject to confirmation by the Iowa Senate. The director's role is to provide leadership for the department as it carries out the policies and programs prescribed by state law and the State Board of Education; and to ensure department personnel are providing the necessary oversight and support for all schools, educators and students to meet their academic goals. Gov. Kim Reynolds appointed McKenzie Snow to lead the Iowa Department of Education beginning June 26, 2023.

Director Snow is committed to ensuring all children have access to a high-quality education that inspires them and prepares them for the future. As director, her work is grounded in high-quality teaching and learning, family and teacher empowerment, evidence-based innovation, college and career pathways, transparency and student-centered funding and supports. Prior to government service, Snow was policy director at the Foundation for Excellence in Education.

Snow has been named a Fulbright grantee, Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar, and Bush Institute and Clinton Foundation Presidential Leadership Scholar. She is a proud fifth-generation Midwesterner.

Support for Director Snow’s Appointment

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin:“The nation is watching what we’re doing in Virginia and McKenzie Snow knows first-hand what it takes to build a best-in-class education partnership with parents, families and educators. The incredible record Gov. Reynolds has amassed on education for all Iowans will be strengthened by McKenzie’s appointment and I am proud of what she will bring to the Reynolds Administration.”

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Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, founder and chair of the Foundation for Excellence in Education (ExcelinEd):“Congratulations to Gov. Kim Reynolds for selecting McKenzie Snow to lead the Iowa Department of Education. In her public service roles, McKenzie has proven time and again that she is committed to students, educators, and families, and she will be a strong leader as Iowa expands and implements a number of critical education policies championed by Gov. Reynolds.”

Aimee Rogstad Guidera, Virginia Secretary of Education:“Director Snow is a national education leader who has demonstrated success in supporting public school innovation, strong teacher pipelines, literacy, postsecondary pathways, and transparency and accountability. Her work in Virginia was invaluable and I know her leadership will serve Iowa's students, parents, and teachers well.”

Andrew Rotherham, Virginia Board of Education Member:“McKenzie spearheaded important work here in Virginia to address the impact of pandemic policies and learning loss and make sure public education works for every family. She's a tireless advocate for policies that work for students and never loses sight of what is most important in discussions about education: young people. Iowa is a great next step in her leadership and that state is lucky to have her in this role.”

Patricia Levesque, CEO of ExcelinEd:“McKenzie is a respected professional in the world of K-12 education policy, and we are excited for her to take on this new leadership role. I am confident that she will put Iowa families first and lead the department from a place of knowledge, compassion, and years of experience.”

Rick Hess, American Enterprise Institute Director of Education Policy Studies:“McKenzie Snow is a terrific choice to lead Iowa’s schools. She’s a principled, savvy, and fearless champion of educational excellence and empowered families.

Components of Iowa's Public Education System

Iowa's public education system is a multifaceted structure encompassing several key components, each playing a distinct role in the overall educational ecosystem.

Local school districts: Serving students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade.
Area Education Agencies (AEAs): Providing support and assistance to the districts in a given region.
Community colleges: Providing a wide range of coursework to students of all ages.
Four-year colleges and universities

The Iowa Department of Education and State Board of Education are responsible for the local schools, AEAs, and community colleges, while the Iowa Board of Regents is responsible for the state's three public four-year universities.

Local School Districts: The Foundation of Education

Each local school district in Iowa must offer a complete education in all grades from kindergarten through 12th grade. All state residents are entitled to free public education up to age 21 and state law requires that all learners between the ages of 6-16 attend school either in their assigned "resident" district, through open enrollment to another district, or through private instruction (home schooling).

Quick Facts About Iowa Public Schools

Districts: 325
School Buildings: 1,316
Students: 483,699
Graduation Rate: 87.5% (class of 2023)
Teachers: 37,982

Local Control

While local districts are governed by state and federal laws that set broad parameters regarding coursework requirements, assessments, and teacher qualifications, each has its own locally elected board of directors that sets specific policy, defines academic requirements, and approves the local budget.

Accreditation

Districts are accredited through a differentiated accountability system. All districts and accredited nonpublic schools submit information to the state Department of Education to ensure the district is meeting state and federal requirements. Based on this information, districts may receive additional support as needed to meet requirements and/or to engage in continuous school improvement.

Iowa Academic Standards

Iowa’s academic standards outline and define what students should be able to do at specified grade levels by subject area; they do not prescribe or mandate any particular curriculum. Each district selects its own local curriculum, textbooks and other classroom materials. Iowa Administrative Code 281-12 outlines requirements for local school boards to establish procedures for developing, implementing and evaluating their district’s total curriculum.

Generally, elementary grades 1-6 must teach language arts, social studies, math, science, health, physical education, traffic safety, music and visual arts.

Junior high grades 7-8 must teach language arts, social studies, math, science, health, human growth and development, physical education, music, visual art, family and consumer education, career education and technology education.

High school grades 9-12 must offer at a minimum six units of language arts, five units of social studies, six units of math, five units of science, one unit of health, one unit of physical education, three units of fine arts, four units of foreign language, and 12 units of vocational education.

Graduation Requirements

Teacher Qualifications: All classroom teachers must be properly licensed and certified in their subject area.

Area Education Agencies (AEAs): Regional Support

Iowa has nine area education agencies or AEAs. AEAs are regional service agencies that provide school improvement services for students, families, teachers, administrators, and their communities. Each AEA is governed by a locally elected board of directors of between five and nine members, responsible for ensuring the AEA operates in the best interests of the students in accordance with state law.

The AEAs work as educational partners with public and accredited private schools.

Community Colleges: Postsecondary Opportunities

Iowa has a statewide system of 15 community colleges. These public, postsecondary, two-year institutions are organized as comprehensive community colleges. Each college serves a multi-county merged area that may vary in size from four to twelve counties; all of Iowa's 99 counties are included in one of these merged areas.

Community colleges are governed by locally elected boards of directors that consist of from five to nine members who are elected for terms of three years. Each community college offers a comprehensive educational program. All Iowans of postsecondary school age are eligible to attend any of the community colleges.

Historical Context

The Department was created by the 35th General Assembly in 1913 and was originally called the Department of Public Instruction. The current name was adopted in 1986.

In its early years, the Department was charged with working with the many small, isolated school buildings to build a formal system of public education that included organized districts with defined duties and boundaries, as well as specific qualifications for teachers. While the state department was established to provide oversight, local schools maintained the authority to set many of the rules and requirements for their own students. This system of "local responsibility" - based on the belief that local residents have the greatest interest in assuring their children's success - continues today.

As Iowa grew over the decades to encompass greater diversity in business, industry and population, the public education system evolved to reflect those changes. In the 1960s, a system of 15 public, two-year community colleges was established to provide more students the opportunity for continued education and training beyond high school. In the mid-1970s, the system of AEAs was developed to provide regional support for local schools and their teachers. Originally, the community colleges and the AEAs shared the same service area boundaries.

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