Susan Castillo has served as the Oregon Superintendent of Public Instruction since January 2003. She was recently reelected for a third four-year term, which begins in January 2011. As Superintendent, she provides leadership for all elementary and secondary students in Oregon's public schools and education service districts. She is responsible for statewide curriculum and instruction programs, school improvement efforts, and Oregon's statewide assessment testing system. Her leadership also extends to public preschool programs, the state School for the Deaf, regional programs for children with disabilities and education programs in Oregon youth corrections facilities. In addition, the Oregon Department of Education acts as a liaison and monitors implementation for a variety of state and federal programs, including the No Child Left Behind Act.

Susan Castillo's priorities are to develop a solid, sustainable program for funding schools, to close the achievement gap for minority and disadvantaged students, and to improve efficiency at the state agency. The Superintendent established six priorities for the Oregon Department of Education:

1. Ready For School - Full-Day Kindergarten For Title I Schools
2. Success For All Students - Closing The Achievement Gap
3. Learning To Read/Reading To Learn - Literacy At Every Grade
4. School and District Leadership
5. Every School A Community School
6. Learning For Success - Improving Middle And High Schools