The commissioner of education shall supervise the department of elementary and secondary education. Either in person or by deputy, he or she shall confer with and advise county and school district officers, teachers, and patrons of the public schools on all matters pertaining to the school law; visit and supervise schools, and make suggestions in regard to the subject matter and methods of instruction, the control and government of the schools, and the care and keeping of all school property; attend and assist in meetings of teachers, directors, and patrons of the public schools; and seek in every way to elevate the standards and efficiency of the instruction given in the public schools of the state. The commissioner shall study and evaluate and test the progress, or lack thereof, in achieving these objectives and shall promptly make public by free electronic media the results of all studies and evaluations and tests insofar as consistent with student or parental privacy rights contained in federal or state law.