Then-interim State Superintendent Carey Wright speaks at a press conference in October 2023. Photo by Danielle J. Brown.
This column may not be what you expected. Columnists thrive on controversy, but I found virtually no controversy about state Superintendent Carey Wright’s first year on the job. I searched hard, conducting over 20 interviews, but, to almost all, she’s off to a resounding start.
Here’s a small sampling of what I was told.
“Shortly after Dr. Wright came on board, I was quoted as saying, ‘She’s a gift from the Gods.’ I haven’t changed my mind.” — William “Brit” Kirwan, chair of the Kirwan Commission and now vice-chair of the Blueprint Accountability and Implementation Board
“I hear all over the state that educators are pleased working with her.” — State Sen. Nancy King, (D-Montgomery), chair of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee’s Education, Business and Administration Subcommittee
“She’s been a game-changer in building morale throughout the system, including collaboration with LEAs [local education agencies]. She’s a real pro — knowledgeable, a good listener, and responsive.” — Mary Pat Fannon, executive director, Public School Superintendents’ Association
“I couldn’t be more excited about her leadership. She’s exactly what Maryland requires.” — Nancy Grasmick, former state superintendent of Maryland for 20 years, 1991-2011
Superlatives also abounded in my interviews with a wide range of stakeholders. For example: “She’s incredibly good.” “She’s open, transparent and responsive.” “Morale at the department has sky-rocketed.”
The ringing endorsement by the Public School Superintendents’ Association may be the most momentous of all. Gaining the trust and collaboration with local school systems is the highest mountain that any superintendent has to climb.
To be sure, some reservations and question marks surfaced. And some interviewees prefaced their responses by observing that – after her predecessor was de facto fired for his autocratic style and unproductiveness – she had nowhere to go but up.
The main themes of concerns I heard are what I call wariness and weariness. State superintendents and reforms come and go. The jury is still out. She’s just now starting to get battle-tested. She needs to build the management capacity of the department, while being threatened with budget cuts.
Some questioned whether she’s too immersed in her Mississippi experience (notwithstanding her many years working in large Maryland school systems). A few stakeholders have a few pending policy disagreements. Many educators in the ranks are concerned about the fast, far reach of her signature literacy initiative. And in a recent commentary in Maryland Matters, Frank Patinella of the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland and two co-authors cautioned that the literacy plan must be “equitable and culturally responsive” for multilingual learners
Last but not least, I interviewed Wright for this column. She conveyed energy, a comfort level, knowledge and practical judgment. I asked her whether the so-called “Mississippi miracle” in raising literacy scores under her superintendency had raised unrealistic expectations. She said what she’s said many times: It wasn’t a miracle but a marathon.
It can happen here, she added. Mississippi and Maryland differ in many ways, but Maryland is “poised” to embark on a steady trajectory of progress. She enthuses over the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future and all the support she’s receiving.
A final note: I was biased in her favor when I began to write this appraisal. My own frequent interactions with her and her staff, in my literacy and special education work, have been positive. Still, I hope this column reflects a fair measure of statewide opinion.
In summary, there are widespread good wishes and high hopes after her first year on the job. The schoolchildren of Maryland have reason to celebrate, as we all do.
So Dr. Wright, Happy First Anniversary and may there be many more.