Maryland Superintendent of Schools embraces 'once-in-a-generation' opportunity

When Maryland State Superintendent of Schools Carey Wright started her last position as Mississippi State Superintendent of Education in 2013, the native Marylander learned a new expression said in the South.

“‘Thank God for Mississippi,’” Wright recalled learning, relaying the why behind the phrase she was told by some in the Magnolia State , during a presentation earlier this year . “Because nobody around us ever had to worry about who was scoring the lowest, cause it’s always (Mississippi).”

During her tenure, the state went from the bottom to the middle of the pack in national rankings . Now, Wright, who starts a four-year term leading Maryland’s schools on Monday, takes the helm in her home state, where both she and her daughters are products of the public schools.

She comes into the role during the second year of a decadelong implementation of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future , the state’s multi-billion dollar legislation passed between 2018 and 2022.

“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for public education in Maryland,” said Wright, in a June 26 phone interview, days before her official July 1 start date, referring to the Blueprint law. “We’ve never leaned in so heavily with education as well as leaning in with the funding.”

The law has already started to increase enrollment in pre-Kindergarten classes across Maryland, but challenges abound for the state ranked 22nd in education by the Annie E. Casey Foundation , which used pre-Blueprint implementation data to compile its 2024 national report .

As of 2022, for example, 69 percent of the Maryland fourth graders were not proficient in reading, according to the foundation’s report that pulled data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

More: Find out where Maryland ranks in national report with four key education areas

And while the 2023-2024 school year may have recently ended, the former teacher, principal and now superintendent Wright said she is “excited about the upcoming school year.”

“Excited about what we can do for the children, teachers, and leaders across the state,” she said.

State leaders laud Wright while state struggles with ‘chronic absenteeism’

While Wright may be excited for the upcoming school year, those tasked with improving outcomes for students in Maryland expressed their excitement for Wright this week.

Former Montgomery County Executive Isiah “Ike” Leggett, chair of the Accountability and Implementation Board , an entity created to oversee implementation of the Blueprint , called the Maryland State Board of Education’s decision to hire Wright “wonderful” during a joint board meeting on June 25. The outgoing president of the Maryland State Board of Education agreed.

“We are extremely fortunate to have, in my judgment, the most outstanding state superintendent in the country here with us in helping to lead the transformation,” said Clarence Crawford, during the June 25 meeting, where goals for the upcoming school years were agreed upon.

One of those goals related not explicitly to academic achievement, but to academic attendance.

In the 2022-2023 academic year, nearly 30 percent (29.8%) of students across the state were “chronically absent,” meaning 10 percent or more of school days were missed in a year. The boards agreed this week to aim to cut that number in half (15%) by the 2025-2026 school year.

The data from the school year that just ended was not yet available, but in the interview Wright called the issue of absenteeism one on “every superintendent’s and every principal’s radar.”

“We have to drill down and look at the data by district and by school, so we know where to really reach out and help those schools who are struggling the most,” Wright said.

REVIEW: Annapolis lawmakers talk juvenile crime. Is upping school attendance part of the solution?

‘She takes the time to listen,’ county superintendent says of Wright .

With the formal term of Maryland state superintendent of schools just beginning, a pair of county school superintendents remarked on the relationship so far working with Wright, who started in an interim capacity as state superintendent of schools last October.

“I am highly impressed with her ability to connect with stakeholders and understand each perspective,” said David Sovine, superintendent of Washington County Public Schools since 2022, in a June 25 emailed statement. “I am very excited to continue working with Dr. Carey Wright as the next Maryland Public Schools Superintendent.”

“She takes the time to listen and engage with superintendents and various constituents across the state,” said Sovine, of Wright, noting her “collaborative approach” to leadership and knowledge in “all areas of public education.”

“I am optimistic about the future of Maryland and Washington County with Dr. Wright leading schools at the state level,” he said.

Superintendent of Wicomico County Public Schools Micah Stauffer also noted the “collaboration” with Wright in a June 24 emailed statement.

“The local superintendents have appreciated the chance to work with Dr. Wright since last fall as the Interim State Superintendent,” he said, “we look forward to continuing that collaboration with her as we move forward for the 2024-2025 school year.”

Stauffer, the county’s superintendent since 2022, also noted a community forum in Salisbury scheduled for September that will start a statewide “listening-and-learning tour” for the new state superintendent.

REVIEW: Maryland test scores rebound post-pandemic, but here's where there's more work to do

‘To me, this is about all of us,’ Wright said

Based on the goals the State Board of Education agreed to on Tuesday, it’s safe to say the superintendents hope they are not the only ones “listening-and-learning” come next September.

In the 2022-2023 school year, less than half (47%) of the state’s third-through eighth-grade students scored proficient in English Language Arts and only a quarter of students in that cohort (25%) tested proficient in mathematics.

This week, the boards put a target of 62% percent testing proficient for English Language Arts by 2025-2026, and a target of 46% of third-through eighth-grade students testing proficient in mathematics by that time.

Likely in order to meet that target, the state — teachers, administrators, parents, tutors , and students — will have to work to continue to close racial achievement gaps. English Language Arts proficiency for Black/African American third-through eighth-grade students increased from pre-pandemic scores in school year 2022-2023, but the 34% proficiency rate remained behind the overall rate. Reading proficiency on the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress also showed gaps between the state average and reading proficiency for Black and Hispanic students.

As for how Wright will work from her position to address those challenges, her previous work in Mississippi and her remarks earlier this year at a social impact forum at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate in Boston, Massachusetts provide some indication.

“To me, this is about all of us,” said Wright, during the Feb. 5 speech. “This is about our nation’s children, and I feel very strongly about that.”

“I went into education for that very reason,” she said. “When I say: ‘all children,’ I do mean all children.”

Dwight A. Weingarten is an investigative reporter, covering the Maryland State House and state issues. He can be reached at dweingarten@gannett.com or on Twitter at @DwightWeingart2.

This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Maryland Superintendent of Schools embraces 'once-in-a-generation' opportunity