Maryland State Board of Education Appoints Dr. Carey Wright as Interim State Superintendent

The State Board voted unanimously on Wednesday evening to appoint Dr. Carey Wright as the interim State Superintendent of Schools for the remainder of the current term through June 30, 2024. Dr. Wright will begin her service as State Superintendent by October 23, 2023, pending the completion of onboarding logistics.

Most recently, Dr. Wright served for nine years as the State Superintendent of Schools in Mississippi leading successful educational reform efforts that guided Mississippi to lead the nation in improving student achievement outcomes. She has consistently demonstrated an ability to build consensus by developing critical relationships with key stakeholders to achieve results.

“I am honored to be appointed to this position and am excited to work on behalf of the teachers, leaders and students of Maryland.  Maryland is well-positioned to provide a world-class education system for all its students and to ensure each student’s success,” said Dr. Carey Wright. “I am confident that by establishing strong relationships and partnerships across the state we will witness strong, equitable educational outcomes for our students. I welcome the opportunity to be an active participant in this endeavor.”

Under Dr. Wright’s leadership, Mississippi’s Quality Counts grade for education improved from an F to a C, improving its ranking from 50th to 35th. Her work reform efforts to improve literacy instruction for children Pre-K through third grade produced significant improvements in literacy rates in Mississippi, with the largest gains in 4th grade literacy on the National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP).

“I am thrilled to welcome Dr. Carey Wright as Maryland’s Interim State Superintendent. She is an exceptional leader who will guide Maryland’s education system into its new chapter,” said Governor Wes Moore. “Dr. Wright brings exemplary expertise to this role and I am confident that she will be a dedicated leader committed to transparency, accountability, and partnership to improve education outcomes in every corner of Maryland, just as this state deserves.”

Dr. Wright has long been an enthusiastic advocate for early childhood education and in Mississippi implemented the first publicly funded Early Learning Collaborative program, which earned the state recognition from the National Institute for Early Education Research as one of only seven states in the nation that meet all or most quality standards for early childhood education.

Dr. Wright also brings to the position decades of service as a Maryland educator with stints in Prince George’s, Howard, and Montgomery County Public Schools as a teacher, principal, director of special education, and associate superintendent. Prior to serving as Superintendent in Mississippi, Dr. Wright served as the Chief Academic Officer in DC Public Schools. Dr. Wright obtained her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from the University of Maryland, College Park.

“Dr. Wright is a Maryland educator and a national leader of education reform. She has the experience and expertise to lead Maryland through implementation of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future and through our state’s commitment to educational equity and improving outcomes for all students,” said State Board President Clarence Crawford. “We are confident in her ability to lead our school system through this transition period, to be focused on transparency and accountability, and to continue building towards the improvements in results in our schools that we all know are necessary.”

Dr. Wright will receive a salary at an annual rate of $350,000, which will be prorated to the amount of time she serves from now through June 30, 2024. The joint State Board and MSDE Transition Team will support Dr. Wright as she is onboarded, and the national search for a permanent State Superintendent of Schools will continue in the coming months.

Courtesy of the MD State Dept of Education