10-13-2024 W2W - Flipbook - Page 14
PHOTO BY LLOYD FOX
Carey Wright
74, State Superintendent of Schools
“I am a classroom teacher at heart,” said Carey Wright,
who started her career as an elementary school teacher
in Prince George’s County, where she grew up. Her
Maryland roots — she received three degrees from the
University of Maryland — brought her out of retirement
to steer the state’s 1,400 public schools through their
largest education reform in decades.
She’s made big changes fast based on her past success
boosting the second-to-last national ranking of Mississippi’s public schools to 21st in the country. Wright
created a literacy policy making all Maryland districts
use the science of reading — one of the most effective
ways to teach children from all backgrounds to read. And
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she’s zeroing in on how to improve reading and writing
skills for children in kindergarten through third grade.
Wright has stepped into the role as Maryland’s top
education leader during a crucial moment. The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, a multibillion education
reform plan, seeks to transform the way students learn
over the next decade. But the plan is very expensive and
rumblings of criticism are growing loud. Wright is in
lockstep with the Maryland State Board of Education
and the state Accountability and Implementation Board
to see through the plan’s many reforms and lobby against
any funding cuts.
— Lilly Price