Iowa Department of Education

Browsing through the Iowa Department of Education website, it is first noticed that there are flashing news coverage in light of education wizzing by. There's a tidbit of info about the story and you can click on it, or let the stories scroll by. There is quite a bit to do on the website- priority links which connect to helpful pages such as the Iowa Core curriculum standards and teacher licensure. There is a resources tab that gives gobs of info ranging from career opportunities to data, statistics, and publications. They have a research program called Intersect that gives the latest on educational issues. I really like that they have links available to different people- administrators, educators, students, families, and the community. There is info on the K-12 staff, state report cards, student data, the state board, etc.

Since there is so much info on this website, they do have a helpful A-Z index which lists everything. I like that they have calendars which tell events and due dates. I really like that they have archives in their newsroom tab of reports and events from 2011 all the way back to 2004. There is a contact page filled with not only contactee names and phone/fax numbers, but also a map showing their main location in Des Moines. There is helpful information to help a browser/reader get to know the Iowa Department of Education- about the department, director, Iowa schools, the state board, and department jobs. There is just so much info on this site! I like how they make a filled website so navigator-friendly with their helpful tabs.