Commissioner's Biography

Dwight D. Jones

Colorado Commissioner of Education

Dwight D. Jones was appointed Colorado’s commissioner of education in June 2007 by a unanimous vote of the Colorado State Board of Education. Under his guidance, the department has refocused its efforts on serving and supporting the field, partnering with schools and districts on various initiatives, and striving to direct resources and intervention strategies to the districts with the most need.

Jones has spent his career in public education throughout the country. He started as an elementary school teacher in Junction City, Kan., and went on to serve as principal for elementary, middle and high schools, as well as an assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction in Wichita, Kan. Following his career in Wichita, Jones was an operational vice president for Edison Schools, where he supervised 11 schools in Kansas, Missouri and Maryland. He served in this role for three years before leaving to become assistant superintendent and later superintendent of Fountain-Fort Carson School District, during which time he earned statewide recognition for narrowing and eliminating achievement gaps related to children from ethnic minority and low-economic backgrounds.

In July 2009 the Education and Resource Development Institute recognized Jones for this work when they named him the Excellence in Education Administrator of the Year.

Jones has served on a number of governor-appointed commissions and at present serves on the Southwest Comprehensive Center’s advisory board, the boards of Denver’s Children’s Hospital, McREL and High School Futures, as well as the Colorado Council on the Arts. He is a current co-chair of NCATE’s Blue Ribbon Panel on Teacher Effectiveness, and last year participated on an international benchmarking advisory board co-sponsored by the National Governor’s Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers. He is also a member of Education Commission of the States steering committee.

For additional information, e-mail: hegele_n@cde.state.co.us