Maryland State School Superintendent Carey Wright

The first draft of the literacy plan faced pushback for requiring struggling third-graders to repeat a school year. Now, parents have the final say – but some say that’s not enough protection.

Carey Wright, a Maryland native, was appointed State Superintendent of Schools by the Maryland State Board of Education last April. She received wide praise in her previous role as statewide superintendent for Mississippi public schools.

The Maryland State Department of Education is creating the targeted literacy plan to boost early student success. But board members said repeated years would cause more harm.

We’ll go On the Record with Maryland’s new state superintendent of schools, Dr. Carey Wright. While Maryland fell in national test scores over much of the last decade, Wright was leading public schools in Mississippi in giant strides in test scores. What are her goals now?

Wright began leading the Maryland education system temporarily in October. Now she takes on the official title with ambitious goals, like a multi-billion-dollar Blueprint to implement.

State education leaders cited progress in teacher certification and community school openings, while lawmakers raised concerns about full-day pre-K implementation.

Carey Wright comes with nine years of experience leading Mississippi education – where she raised state test scores from the country’s worst to near the national average.

Carey Wright will take over the lead role at the Maryland State Department of Education later this month.