Commissioner of Education

Susana Córdova

Colorado Commissioner of Education

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In June 2023 Susana Córdova was named Colorado’s 18th education commissioner and the first Latina to hold the state’s top education position. Prior to being named commissioner, Córdova spent more than 30 years in education. She served as an assistant principal, principal, director, chief academic officer, chief schools officer, and deputy superintendent before becoming the superintendent of Denver Public Schools. She also served as deputy superintendent in Dallas ISD, the second-largest district in Texas.

Córdova grew up in Denver and was a student in the district she later went on to lead. She spent her entire student career in DPS and graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in 1984. After obtaining a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Denver in 1988, Córdova became a bilingual language arts educator at the now-closed Horace Mann Middle School in Northwest Denver. She then taught at West High School before becoming an assistant principal at Bryant-Webster Elementary School and then principal of Remington Elementary School – all high-poverty schools on Denver’s west side. During her tenure as principal, Remington improved by more than 33% over four years on the state reading assessment.

She was then promoted to the district’s administration as executive director of teaching and learning, chief academic officer, chief schools officer and deputy superintendent before becoming the first Latina superintendent in the district where more than half of the students are Hispanic. Among her priorities as superintendent was to “break the historical patterns of inequity that have resulted in far too few black, brown and low-income children succeeding at high levels.” 

As the DPS superintendent, Susana led significant improvements in student outcomes, including an 8% increase in graduation rates for African American Students and a 10% improvement in Latino/a student graduation rates. In 2020, under her leadership, students completed more than 31,000 rigorous courses with a passing rate of 89%, and elementary multilingual students outperformed their peers across the state in reading. She is very proud of her commitment to biliteracy and bilingualism and helped shift the district to an asset-based approach to supporting multilingual students. 

After leaving DPS, Córdova served as deputy superintendent for Dallas Independent School District from January 2021 to August 2022. She then became superintendent in residence for the educational nonprofit Transcend, leading their work to support systems leaders who are dedicated to creating innovative schools that provide equitable and exceptional learning experiences and outcomes.

Córdova’s educational background includes a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction/education administration from the University of Colorado Denver and a doctorate in education from Southern Methodist University. She lives in Denver with her husband Eric Duran. Her son is a high school teacher in Denver, and her daughter is a recent graduate of Stanford University. 

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Susana Córdova

Comisionada de educación de Colorado

En junio del año 2023, Susana Córdova fue nombrada la 18va comisionada de educación y la primera latina en ocupar la principal posición de educación en el estado. Antes de ser nombrada comisionada, Córdova invirtió más de 30 años en la educación. Sirvió como asistente al principal, principal, directora, directora académica, directora de escuelas, y superintendente adjunta antes de convertirse en superintendente de las escuelas públicas de Denver, Denver Public Schools (DPS). También se desempeñó como superintendente adjunta en Dallas ISD, el segundo distrito más grande de Texas.

Córdova creció en Denver y fue estudiante del distrito que luego terminó liderando. Susana invirtió el total de su carrera estudiantil en DPS y se graduó de la escuela secundaria Abraham Lincoln en 1984. Después de obtener su grado de  bachillerato en inglés, de la universidad de Denver en el 1988, Córdova se encaminó hacia la posición de educadora de artes del lenguaje en la, ahora cerrada, escuela intermedia Horace Mann Middle School en el noroeste de Denver. Susana luego enseñó en la escuela superior West High School, antes de ser la asistente principal en la escuela elemental Bryant-Webster Elementary School y luego principal de la escuela elemental Remington Elementary School – siendo todas escuelas de alta pobreza en el oeste de Denver. Durante su mandato como directora, Remington mejoró más del 33% durante cuatro años en la evaluación de lectura del estado.

Posteriormente, Susana fue promovida a la administración del distrito como directora ejecutiva de enseñanza y educación, directora académica, directora de escuelas y luego como superintendente adjunta, antes de convertirse en la primera superintendente latina en el distrito donde más de la mitad de los estudiantes son hispanos. Dentro de sus prioridades como superintendente donde “romper con los patrones históricos de inequidad que han resultado en una baja taza de progreso en altos niveles educativos dentro de nuestros estudiantes de color y de escasos recursos. 

Como superintendente de DPS, Susana se encargó de implementar mejoras significativas en resultados académicos, incluyendo un incremento de 8% en graduaciones de estudiantes afroamericanos y un 10% en estudiantes latinso(as). En 2020, durante su liderazgo, los estudiantes completaron más de 31,000 cursos rigurosos con una tasa de aprobación del 89%. Además, los estudiantes multilingües de escuela elemental sobrepasaron a sus compañeros(as) a través del estado en lectura. Susana se enorgullece de su compromiso con la alfabetización bilingüe y el bilingüismo. También ayudó a dirigir al distrito hacia un acercamiento basado en recursos en cuanto a su meta de apoyar a estudiantes multilingües.    

Después de transicionar fuera de CDE, Córdova sirvió como superintendente adjunta del Distrito Escolar Independiente de Dallas desde enero de 2021 hasta agosto de 2022. Luego se convirtió en superintendente residente de la organización educativa sin fines de lucro Transcend, dirigiendo su trabajo para apoyar a los líderes de sistemas que se dedican a crear escuelas innovadoras que a su vez brindan experiencias de aprendizaje equitativas y excepcionales con buenos resultados.

La formación académica de Córdova incluye una maestría en planes y programas de estudio/administración educativa de la Universidad de Colorado en Denver y un doctorado en educación de la Universidad Metodista del Sur. Vive en Denver con su esposo, Eric Duran. Su hijo es maestro de educación secundaria en Denver y su hija se graduó recientemente de la Universidad de Stanford.

Overview

The Commissioner's Office directs the Colorado Department of Education's (CDE) activities, completion towards statutorily required tasks, and attainment of CDE's goals. The Commissioner, along with her Executive Team, ensures that the strategic plan also guides CDE's work. The strategic plan receives input from CDE staff and is revised annually.

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Responsibilities

• Advise the State Board, concerning the current operation and status of the public schools, and other education matters.
• Establish and maintain, a system of personnel administration, within the department.
• Ensure all policies, rules and regulations adopted by the State Board are duly executed.
• Visit local education agencies, schools, communities and key education partners at the local, state, national and global levels.
• Prepare and submit, to the State Board, a budget for the department and properly execute the approved budget in accordance with appropriations.

Commissioner's Teacher Cabinet

The Commissioner's Teacher Cabinet is a group of practicing teachers from around the state that serve as a sounding board for the implementation of state education policy and will brainstorm solutions for challenges facing today's educators. The cabinet shares new solutions on issues such as raising achievement for all students, supporting low-performing schools and increasing the number of individuals joining the profession.

Learn more about the commissioner's teacher cabinet and its members.