Nebraska Department of Education Commissioner Brian Maher sent the following letter to school and ESU administrators on the topic of the Federal Department of Education. On Thursday, President Trump signed an executive order, “Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities.” The order states, “The Secretary of Education shall, to...
The Nebraska Department of Education is proud to honor 70 students with the Distinguished World Language Scholar Award during World Language Week 2025. These students have demonstrated outstanding leadership in language learning, commitment to language study, appreciation for cultural diversity, and communicative competence. Nominated by their teachers, each student submitted...
The Nebraska State Board of Education has appointed Dr. Jane Stavem as a Deputy Commissioner of Education. The decision comes after a nationwide search process. As deputy commissioner, Dr. Stavem will provide leadership and guidance for the day-to-day operations of the NDE, provide agency-wide administrative support to the Commissioner, and...
Groups of educators, law enforcement officers and first responders from across Nebraska are joining the Nebraska Department of Education’s School Safety staff for a series of specialized trainings from the “I Love U Guys” Foundation at three different sites. NDE staff will help schools in developing safe school communities during...
The Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) is pleased to announce encouraging developments in teacher recruitment and retention efforts, as highlighted in the recently released 2024-25 Teacher Vacancy Survey Report. This annual survey provides critical insights into the state’s teacher workforce, and this year’s findings underscore progress in addressing staffing challenges....
Governor Jim Pillen, Education Commissioner Dr. Brian Maher, Milken Educator Awards Vice President Jennifer Fuller join in bestowing “Oscar of Teaching” on Neligh-Oakdale Jr./Sr. High School teacher Dexter Hanzel BIO, PHOTOS AND VIDEO: https://www.milkeneducatorawards.org/educators/view/dexter-hanzel Neligh-Oakdale Junior/Senior High School teacher Dexter Hanzel received the surprise of a lifetime this morning when...
Event Photos Students from across the state representing seven of Nebraska’s Career and Technical Student Organizations visited the Capitol February 4th in celebration of CTSO Legislative Day. The event helped students develop a better understanding of state government and the Nation’s only unicameral. While at the Capitol, students met with...
Nebraska’s 2024 fourth and eighth graders scored higher than the national average in math and close to the national average in reading. Nebraska students also outperformed most other states across the country in math scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). NAEP scores declined in most subjects both...
Children need good food all year long, even when they are not in school. The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) provides healthy meals to children, ages one to 18, free of charge. Community organizations and private nonprofits, as well as schools, and tribal and local governments, including parks and recreation...
Six Nebraska teachers are among 300 nationally selected to receive Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST). These winners represent awards for 2021, 2022, and 2023. The Nebraska awardees include Kathryn Dornbos, Norris High School (Science) and Joan Ebel, Columbus High School (Math) from 2021, Andrew Boone,...
Two Nebraska schools are among 69 across the U.S. that have been named 2024 National ESEA Distinguished Schools for the extraordinary success of their students. The National Association of ESEA State Program Administrators (NAESPA)—formerly the National Title I Association—has been selecting examples of superior, federally funded school programs for national recognition through the...
The Nebraska Department of Education is requesting proposals for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers 2025 grant competition. The goal of the 21st CCLC program is to establish or expand community learning centers that provide students with academic enrichment opportunities as well as activities that complement the students' regular academic...
Nebraska state statute requires updates to Nebraska College and Career Ready content standards every seven years. Current standards for Fine Arts, Physical Education, Social Studies, and World Languages were adopted by the Nebraska State Board of Education in 2014, 2016, 2019, and 2019, respectively. The information collected will be used...
Nathan Kackmeister, a teacher at Crawford Public Schools was recently named the 2024 State History Teacher of the Year, an award sponsored by The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. In 2024, parents, students, teachers, and administrators nationwide nominated more than 7,000 teachers for the History Teacher of the Year...
Video of the Commissioner’s News Conference is available for download: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TK8rC_Pd7ifVrox8mq5NNdPFH6ywJ7-6/view?usp=share_link The Nebraska Department of Education released the Nebraska Student-Centered Assessment System (NSCAS) results and the Accountability for a Quality Education System Today and Tomorrow, or AQuESTT classifications today. Both reports provide insight into how students are performing academically on...
