Dr. Cade Brumley

Under the leadership of State Superintendent Dr. Cade Brumley, Louisiana has made historic education progress. He developed a BRAVE Plan to guide agency actions. Below, please find a brief narrative on how each component will shape the future of education in Louisiana.

Back to Basics

Schools were established to develop academic learning and skills. Personnel, resources, and time should be wisely invested to prioritize the pursuit of academic excellence. Instead of chasing misguided pursuits and wasting resources, schools should return to a laser focus on teaching fundamental academic content and skills. There should be particular interest in reading, math, history, and science. This back-to-the-basics approach should solidify knowledge with early learners, preparing them for the remainder of their school career, work, and life.

Redesign High Schools

The world of work has changed and high schools must adapt. Instead of processing students through antiquated experiences, low-level credentialing, and weak coursework, a commitment must be made to personalizing high school experiences for each student, guaranteeing them a deliberate handoff to high-wage work, higher education, or service where they are ready to excel. Schools must prioritize connections with business, industry, and higher education partners, allowing authentic student experiences during high schools. 

Accelerate Parental Rights

Children belong to their parents, not the government. A child’s first – and foremost – teacher is their parent. There should be prioritization on solidifying and accelerating the fundamental rights of parents. Parents must be in the driver’s seat of their children’s education. Schools must lead with transparency and work to develop - and sustain - trusting relationships with parents. Parents send their children to school with a desire for their child to be safe and to receive a quality education. They deserve no less.

Value Teaching Professionals

Other than the parent, there’s nothing more critical for student success than high-quality school teachers. As we move into the future, a comprehensive approach must be utilized to value teaching professionals. We must appreciate the significance of the profession and those who make the noble decision to serve the next generation. In an effort to value teaching professionals, we should frequently evaluate practices within the profession, policies impacting the profession, and teacher pay, being responsive to needs. Our Let Teachers Teach endeavor has reduced bureaucracies, curtailed excessive training, and created teaching environments free from disruption. Further, our compensation strategy must provide a professional base pay with differentiated supports based on market needs and job performance.

Expand Education Freedom

Educational freedom opportunities should be abundant for families. We must seek to expand choice options and remove barriers to accessing the educational environments and models that make the most sense for students. In addition to high-quality traditional public schools, we must cultivate a stronger portfolio of options to include public charters, non-publics, and independent home-study programs. Students should not be mandated to attend failing schools simply because of their zip code. Instead, we must have expanded options affording every family a safe school where their child can get a good education.

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About Dr. Brumley

Dr. Cade Brumley has served as Louisiana State Superintendent of Education since 2020, bringing a "back to basics" approach that has driven significant improvements in educational outcomes. Under his leadership, Louisiana achieved its highest-ever rankings on national evaluations like The Nation’s Report Card and U.S. News & World Report. A joint study by Harvard and Stanford, the Education Recovery Scorecard, highlighted Louisiana as one of only three states where students have surpassed pre-pandemic reading levels, a testament to the state's Science of Reading-based literacy initiatives, which have transformed reading instruction.

Dr. Brumley also launched the Let Teachers Teach workgroup to prioritize teacher voice and reduce classroom disruptions, empowering educators to focus on instruction. His tenure has expanded educational freedom across the state, introducing Louisiana’s first education scholarship account and increasing access to school choice options, including charter schools, home study, and learning pods.

A lifelong Louisiana native, Dr. Brumley has dedicated his career to improving the lives of students, serving as a teacher, coach, school leader, and system leader before being appointed to his current role

As State Superintendent of Education, Dr. Brumley has:

Advanced Louisiana's National Education Rankings
Louisiana has earned its highest marks ever on prominent national education rankings. Louisiana PK-12 education has jumped from 46th to 40th in the U.S. News & World Report Best States rankings. On NAEP (The Nation’s Report Card) Louisiana led the nation in reading growth and the state's overall standing improved from 46th to 42nd.

Positioned Louisiana as a Leader for Academic Recovery
Harvard and Stanford’s Education Recovery Scorecard found Louisiana to be one of only three states where reading achievement exceeded pre-pandemic levels. The state’s math progress was praised as “remarkable” for surpassing the national average. Dr. Brumley also created the Louisiana Comeback initiative, a statewide, coordinated effort to recover learning loss caused by unprecedented disruptions from COVID-19 and five named hurricanes, ensuring students regain academic momentum.

Valued Teaching Professionals
Dr. Brumley launched the Let Teachers Teach workgroup to develop common sense solutions to unnecessary bureaucracies and classroom disruptions that keep teachers from doing what they do best — teaching students. The workgroup was composed of over two dozen teachers from across Louisiana and developed a set of 18 recommendations used to create policy and guidance to improve working conditions for teachers.

Expanded Education Freedom
Education freedom opportunities have become more abundant for Louisiana families, including the adoption of the state’s first education scholarship account, LA GATOR. Louisiana has cultivated a strong portfolio of options including public charters, non-publics, and home-study programs.

Launched Reading Revival
Dr. Brumley called attention to the reading crisis in his state and took action with a comprehensive plan based in the Science of Reading called Louisiana Literacy. The state’s literacy policies have been recognized by national education experts such as ExcelinEd and the National Council on Teacher Quality.

Redesigned High Schools
Louisiana is committed to personalizing high school for each student, guaranteeing them a deliberate handoff to high-wage work, higher education, or service. Louisiana’s revised accountability system makes career education a foundational pillar and, for the first time ever, rewards schools when students complete work-based learning or enlist in the United States military. Louisiana’s Fast Forward initiative allows high school students to graduate while simultaneously earning career credentials, apprenticeships, internships, associate degrees, or completing courses leading to a four-year degree.

Developed Freedom Framework
Louisiana’s newly adopted K-12 Student Standards for Social Studies focus on a Freedom Framework honoring the nation’s achievements while recognizing its ongoing pursuit of a more perfect union.

Achieved Significant Gains on State Assessments
Louisiana students have earned the most significant year-over-year increase in state assessment scores since 2016, with students improving in both English Language Arts and math.

Safely Returned Students to In-Person Learning
Louisiana was among the first states to safely return students to in-person learning during the pandemic. The state’s COVID-19 mitigation efforts resulted in the third most aggressive school reopening plan in the U.S., according to the American Enterprise Institute.

Supported Post-Hurricane Educational Recovery
Dr. Brumley coordinated education recovery efforts through five named storms, including the second and third largest hurricanes in Louisiana’s history, ensuring schools and communities were supported during the aftermath. Facilitated development of the LDOE’s first Hurricane Preparedness Playbook to support school system leaders before, during, and after a hurricane.

Prior to joining the Louisiana Department of Education, Dr. Brumley served as Superintendent of Jefferson Parish Schools, the largest school system in the state with more than 51,000 students. Dr. Brumley also served as DeSoto Parish Schools Superintendent for six years.

Dr. Brumley holds a Bachelors of Science in Education from Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, a Masters of Education in School Administration from Louisiana State University -  Shreveport, and a Doctorate of Education in School Leadership from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas. He has also completed several postdoctoral fellowships focused on improving student outcomes in urban environments as well as served as an adjunct instructor at multiple universities.

Follow Dr. Brumley on Twitter at @cadebrumley.