News Releases

March 10, 2025
South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind's Taylor Carvajal Named State Teacher of the Year Finalist: Taylor Carvajal’s connection to her students runs deep. Inspired by her legally blind grandparents, she has spent her career ensuring blind and deaf students have the tools they need to succeed at the South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind. Now, her dedication has earned her a spot as a finalist for South Carolina Teacher of the Year.

March 7, 2025
Lexington 4 Early Childhood Center's Miranda Grice Named State Teacher of the Year Finalist: Before children learn to read or write, they learn to speak—and for some, that first step requires extra help. Miranda Grice, a Speech-Language Pathologist at Lexington Four Early Childhood Center, has dedicated her career to ensuring every child has a voice. Now, her impact has made her a finalist for South Carolina Teacher of the Year.

March 3, 2025
South Carolina's START Report Tackles Teacher Shortages with Bold Solutions: The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) has released a bold and comprehensive blueprint to address the state’s teacher recruitment and retention challenges. Developed in collaboration with educators, policymakers, and national experts, the Strategic Talent Acquisition and Retention Taskforce (START) report outlines evidence-based recommendations to create a supportive and innovative environment for South Carolina educators.

February 20, 2025
Columbia Educator Surprised with $25,000 Milken Award: Forest Lake Elementary School’s lead interventionist Keighley George thought she was attending a schoolwide assembly this morning in honor of a visit from State Department of Education officials, but instead, she received a heartwarming surprise. George was presented with the Milken Educator Award, a prestigious national honor hailed as the “Oscar of Teaching” and recognizes exceptional educators for their dedication to excellence in education and leadership. Created by philanthropist and education visionary Lowell Milken, the honor includes an unrestricted $25,000 cash prize that the recipient may use however they choose. The National Institute for Excellence in Teaching Chief Executive Officer Dr. Joshua Barnett presented the Award on behalf of the Milken Family Foundation.

January 30, 2025
State Superintendent Weaver Shares SCDE Budget Requests for 2025 with SC Lawmakers: Expanding the state’s Summer Reading Camps, increasing teacher salaries, and establishing a permanent, sustainable funding source for capital projects for rural and public charter schools are some of the top priorities for State Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver in the new year.

January 29, 2025
SC Students Outperform National Trends in Latest NAEP Results: South Carolina students continue to demonstrate remarkable resilience as they recover from pandemic-related disruptions, according to the latest results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), commonly known as the Nation’s Report Card.

January 24, 2025
Converse Bus Shop renamed after longtime SCDE employee: The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) held a ceremony to commemorate the renaming of the Converse School Bus Shop to the David T. Brewington School Bus Maintenance Center on January 24.

January 17, 2025
SCDE seeks partners for Summer Meals Program: The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) is seeking local governmental agencies, school food authorities, faith-based and public/private nonprofit organizations to provide summer meals to children.

January 16, 2025
SCDE and partners unveil 2025 SC African American History Calendar: On January 15, the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE), in collaboration with its community partners, hosted the unveiling of the 2025 South Carolina African American History Calendar at the Koger Center for the Arts in downtown Columbia.

January 9, 2025
SCDE provides update to school districts on PowerSchool data breach: As the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) continues to monitor the scope of the PowerSchool data breach incident, the SCDE provided an update Thursday evening to school districts.

January 8, 2025
SCDE responds to PowerSchool Data Breach: Late Tuesday, the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) was informed by PowerSchool of a cybersecurity breach involving its PowerSource portal. This was an international incident over which the state and local districts had no control.

November 25, 2024
State Superintendent of Education Weaver Statement on latest Educator Supply & Demand Report: State Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver released the following statement in response to the release of the 2024 Educator Supply and Demand Report by the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement (CERRA).

October 22, 2024
Williamsburg County School District board earns increased governance responsibilities: In recognition of the marked improvement seen in student achievement data over the past year, the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) will take the first step in transitioning more governance responsibilities to the locally-elected Williamsburg County School District Board of Trustees (the Board).

October 21, 2024
SCDE, SCDPS Stress Importance of School Bus Safety During National Observance: The South Carolina Department of Public Safety (SCDPS) and the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) held a joint news conference Monday morning to highlight the importance of school bus safety. National School Bus Safety Week, which runs from October 21-25 this year, is aimed at encouraging drivers to slow down, be alert, and use best practices on the road.

October 15, 2024
Pinecrest Elementary School's Barry Jacks Receives Principal of Excellence Award: The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE), in partnership with the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, is proud to announce Barry Jacks, Principal of Pinecrest Elementary School in Greenwood School District 50, as the recipient of the Inaugural Principal of Excellence Award.

October 15, 2024
State Education Agencies celebrate Academic Achievement of schools while stressing the need for statewide improvement: The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) and the South Carolina Education Oversight Committee (EOC) released the 2024 SC School Report Cards at Pinecrest Elementary School in Greenwood School District 50. These report cards, available at www.screportcards.com, provide insights into student performance and school quality for the 2023-2024 school year.

September 23, 2024
Four SC schools named 2024 National Blue Ribbon Schools: State Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver has announced that four South Carolina schools were recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as 2024 National Blue Ribbon Schools.

September 3, 2024
Statement from State Superintendent Ellen Weaver on the Passing of Dr. Barbara S. Nielsen, former State Superintendent of Education: State Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver shared the following statement regarding the passing of Dr. Barbara S. Nielsen, South Carolina's fourteenth State Superintendent of Education

September 3, 2024
SC Department of Education Unveils Free to Focus SC: Following final approval by the State Board of Education of a statewide model cell phone policy Tuesday afternoon, the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) has launched ‘Free to Focus SC’.

August 29, 2024
SCDE Launches Initiative Empowering Students with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Message of Hope and Unity: The SC Department of Education (SCDE) is unveiling a new initiative to provide high-quality civics education resources to South Carolina teachers and students at no cost to local districts.