“S” is for South Carolina Department of Education

“S” is for South Carolina Department of Education. The South Carolina Department of Education is the administrative arm of the State Board of Education. The department promulgates and oversees state educational policies for the state's schools, as well as providing services, technical assistance, and assessments. The agency head is the State Superintendent, an elected official. Throughout the early twentieth century, the Department of Education increasingly sought uniformity and equality of standards throughout the state. Later as the federal government's involvement in education policy accelerated in the 1950s and 1960s, the department increasingly took on a role of administering federal funds earmarked for the state in education. In the early 21st century, the Department of Education administered State Board of Education policies and concerns ranging from textbook approval and teacher certification to adoption of education standards and curriculum requirements.