Balow was president of the Council of Chief State School Officers.[2] A Republican, she was elected as the Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction in 2014, winning 61% of the vote against Democrat Mike Ceballos.[2] During her 2014 campaign, she opposed the Common Core initiatives.[1] Balow ran unopposed in 2018.[2] Her last day as the Wyoming superintendent was January 16, 2022.[3]
On March 1, 2023, Balow announced her resignation as Virginia's Superintendent of Public Instruction, effective March 9. Balow's tenure at VDOE was marked with high-profile fights over issues including revised state standards for history education and the treatment of transgender students in schools.[4]