The Oklahoma State Department of Education is the state education agency of the State of Oklahoma charged with determining the policies and directing the administration and supervision of the public school system of Oklahoma. The State Board of Education is composed of the Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction and six members appointed by the Governor of Oklahoma with the approval of the Oklahoma Senate. The State Superintendent of Public Instruction, in addition to serving as chair of the Board, serves as the chief executive officer of the Department and is elected by the voters of Oklahoma every four years.
The current State Superintendent of Public Instruction is Ryan Walters.
The State Board of Education, and thus the State Department of Education, was created in its current configuration in 1971 during the term of Governor David Hall. The agency maintains its headquarters in the Oliver Hodge Building at 2500 North Lincoln Boulevard in Oklahoma City.
Together with the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education and the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, the Department forms the core of Oklahoma's public education system.
