Mississippi State Supt. of Education Carey Wright announces retirement

Wright has held the place since 2013. The State Board of Training will announce their search and hiring plan to interchange her quickly.

Mississippi’s State Superintendent of Training Dr. Carey Wright will retire efficient June 30, 2022. She has labored within the training discipline for 50 years. The Mississippi State Board of Training (SBE) appointed Dr. Wright to be the state’s high pre-Okay-12 training official in 2013.

In accordance with a launch from the Mississippi Division of Training (MDE), Wright’s tenure in Mississippi has been longer and marked by extra pupil positive factors than any state superintendent of training because the Training Reform Act of 1982 established the SBE. Nationally, Dr. Wright is likely one of the longest-serving state training chiefs of the twenty first century.

Underneath Dr. Wright’s management, MDE notes that the state initiated profitable training reforms that made Mississippi a nationwide chief for enhancing pupil achievement. These embrace:

• Mississippi’s High quality Counts grade for training improved from an F to a C-, its rating climbed from fiftieth to thirty fifth and the commencement charge rose from 75.5% to 88.4% – larger than the nationwide common.
• Amongst college students with disabilities, the commencement charge greater than doubled from 23.2% to 59.9%. Mississippi 4th graders in 2013 have been studying a couple of full grade stage behind the nationwide common on the Nationwide Evaluation of Academic Progress (NAEP).
• By 2019, Mississippi 4th graders scored larger than the nation’s public college common in arithmetic, tied the nation in studying and ranked No. 1 within the nation for making the biggest rating positive factors.
• The fast progress of Mississippi college students earned the state High quality Counts’ No. 2 rating within the nation for enchancment in 2019, 2020 and 2021.

“Dr. Wright by no means wavered from her perception that Mississippi college students have been simply as succesful as college students in every other state,” mentioned Rosemary Aultman, SBE chair, in MDE’s launch. “She eradicated the tradition of low expectations and proved our college students might obtain on the highest ranges. States all through the nation now flip to Mississippi to study our profitable methods for elevating pupil achievement. Dr. Wright’s management has improved academic alternatives and outcomes for a technology of Mississippi college students.”

Throughout her tenure, Dr. Wright applied Mississippi’s first publicly funded Early Studying Collaborative program, which earned the state recognition from the Nationwide Institute for Early Training Analysis as certainly one of solely six states within the nation that meet all 10 high quality requirements for early childhood training. This system has grown from 11 collaboratives serving 1,700 youngsters in 2014 to 30 collaboratives that may serve 6,000 youngsters in 2022-23.

Dr. Wright spearheaded initiatives which have elevated literacy abilities in pre-Okay by means of the grade 3, pushed pupil achievement on the NAEP to enhance at a quicker charge than most different states, and practically doubled the Development Placement participation and success charge. Pre-pandemic, Mississippi college students achieved important annual positive factors in English Language Arts and Arithmetic proficiency. Although the pandemic disrupted studying all through the nation, Mississippi’s evaluation scores didn’t fall as a lot as they did in different states.

Dr. Wright’s most up-to-date innovation consists of the Mississippi Connects program, which offered each pupil within the state with a pc gadget to study in school or at dwelling. This system consists of enhanced web connectivity, high-quality digital content material, skilled growth for academics and directors, digital studying coaches and the launch of telehealth/teletherapy in faculties beginning within the 2022-23 college yr.

She additionally applied the Mississippi Instructor Residency, which gives scholarships and mentors to aspiring academics, and the Efficiency-Primarily based Licensure program, which helps Mississippi academics with provisional licenses turn into totally licensed. The following trainer residency cohort will present graduate diploma scholarships for 200 aspiring elementary and particular training academics.

All through her tenure as Mississippi’s state training chief, MDE says Dr. Wright has been an lively member and chief of quite a few nationwide and state boards and organizations that advance the sector of training. Notably, the U.S. Secretary of Training appointed her in 2019 to the Nationwide Evaluation Governing Board, which units coverage for NAEP, the Nation’s Report Card. In 2022, Dr. Wright earned the Mississippi Prime 50 Most Influential Leaders Award.

“Main training in Mississippi has been the dignity and privilege of my life. I’m deeply grateful for the chance I’ve been given to work with devoted educators and leaders throughout Mississippi, your complete Mississippi Division of Training group and dedicated State Board members and legislative leaders. Collectively we’ve labored to make a distinction within the lives of youngsters.” Dr. Wright was quoted as saying. “Most particularly, I’m extremely pleased with Mississippi college students. There isn’t any restrict to what they’ll accomplish.”

The SBE will announce plans for Dr. Wright’s transition and its seek for a brand new state superintendent of training as soon as the small print have been finalized.