Superintendent of Public Instruction

Superintendent of Public Instruction Jenna Conway 

Governor Abigail Spanberger announced Jenna Conway as Virginia’s superintendent of public instruction on January 13, 2026. Superintendent Conway serves as the executive officer of the Virginia Department of Education, which is the administrative agency for the commonwealth's public schools, and as secretary of the state Board of Education.

Biography

Jenna Conway is a distinguished senior leader at the Virginia Department of Education, currently serving as the Superintendent of Public Instruction and a prior role as the Chief of Early Learning and Specialized Populations.

Over the past seven years, Conway has spearheaded Virginia’s efforts to strengthen its birth-to-five early childhood care and education system, ensuring every child is prepared for kindergarten and beyond. Her leadership extends to overseeing special education, behavioral health and student safety, and adult education, with a steadfast commitment to supporting all learners regardless of ability, age or background.

With more than a decade of transformative service at state education agencies, Conway has driven measurable improvements in outcomes for children. In Louisiana, she unified child care, Head Start and school-based pre-K programs, expanding access, enhancing classroom quality, and empowering families. Her success led to her appointment as Virginia’s first Chief School Readiness Officer, where she collaborated with public, private, philanthropic, and business partners to build a nationally recognized early childhood model, doubling the number of birth-to-five children served with public funds over an eight-year period.

Through her bipartisan, collaborative approach, Virginia is now considered a national leader with 99% of its 3,200 early childhood sites meeting expectations and an integrated data system that connects early childhood experiences, school readiness, and early literacy to K-12 academic outcomes for more than 32,500 birth-to-8th grade classrooms, more than 80,000 users, and over 800,000 students. Conway has helped play a pivotal role in implementing the Virginia Literacy Act and other significant legislation, working in close partnership with school divisions to better support educators, engage families, and improve student outcomes.

A proud Virginia native and graduate of the Charlottesville City Schools, Conway holds degrees from Yale University, the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, and the Broad Education Residency. She began her career in children and human services in New York City, where she led September 11 response efforts and improved services for a million of low-income residents. Most importantly, she is the proud mom of three children, all of whom attend Richmond City Public Schools.

Communication & Reports Provided by the Superintendent

Virginia Education Update Newsletter

A weekly newsletter from the superintendent of public instruction. Starting July 6, 2023, this newsletter will serve to replace Superintendent's Memoranda for communications to school divisions.

Superintendent's Memos

Weekly memoranda from the superintendent of public instruction are the means by which the Virginia Department of Education communicates official information to the commonwealth's school divisions.

Superintendent's Annual Report

The Superintendent's Annual Report contains educational statistics reported annually by school divisions to the Department of Education. The report includes tables on enrollment, pupil-teacher ratios, promotion, retention, graduation, dropouts, and attendance, as well as financial data and data on school division personnel.