The North Carolina Education Cabinet is chaired by the Governor and includes the President of the UNC System, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Chairman of the State Board of Education, the President of the NC Community College System, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the President of the NC Independent Colleges and Universities, and the Secretary of Commerce.  The Cabinet is statutorily tasked with working to resolve issues between existing providers of education and developing and maintaining a strategic design for a continuum of education programs, from early childhood into the workforce.

In August 2017, Governor Cooper charged the Education Cabinet with focusing on three key areas:  teacher recruitment and retention, data sharing across education sectors, and postsecondary attainment for workforce development.