Q&A: Get to know new Cincinnati Public Schools Superintendent Iranetta Wright

In her first address as Cincinnati Public Schools superintendent, Iranetta Wright emphasized the importance of community engagement, collaboration with local partners and her desire to help students recover from learning loss accumulated during the pandemic.

"The work that we have to do in our district is too great for me or the school board and the staff to do alone," Wright said during a Friday morning visit to John P. Parker School. "This is a community's work."

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Wright is expected to leave Detroit Public Schools, where she currently serves as deputy superintendent, and start in her new role at CPS sometime in early May. She visited this weekend to meet with students, staff and parents across the district.

During the Parker visit, Wright answered reporters' questions about her goals as superintendent and why she's excited to move to Cincinnati. She said the pride Cincinnatians have in their city reminds her of her hometown in Jacksonville, Florida. She's a self-proclaimed "foodie" and is excited to try restaurants in town, too. She said she's had Skyline chili already but won't give her review just yet.

Here are a few more questions Wright answered Friday:

Q: What steps will you take to help combat student learning loss?

A: I think the first thing is really to recognize where we are currently. What does the data currently say about what's happening with our children during this time? We know that learning loss has not just been around the academic focus, but a lot of our students are in need of health supports, they're in need of social and emotional supports. And as we re-engage them in the learning environment we want to look at all of those things so that we prepare a path forward based on what their needs (are).

Q: Is there anything that stood out to you about CPS that made you think you'd be a good fit for this role?

A: It was evident to me that the board was really committed to a community collaborative process ... It was evident to me that they really wanted the community to own the person in this role. And the reason that's so important is because when you share in the ownership, you share in success, but you also share in the growth and the change. And that was important to me to start with.

The second (thing) really was looking at the data, where we are currently as a district. And the momentum that had already started prior to COVID was really positive, but we know that we've had challenges since then. And that is a level of experience that I bring. A lot of my work has been around transformation. But for me it's really about excellence, not just about transformation.

Q: What made you want to be a teacher?

A: I've been a teacher my entire life, my whole life I've been a teacher. From teaching my dolls to teaching my younger sister to teaching Sunday school at the age of 12 to teaching adult women in Mary Kay cosmetics. Teaching is a part of who I am. I tried to leave education twice, and I came back.

Teaching is my passion. It is a part of who I am because we touch every phase of the overall community. We touch every phase. We have the opportunity to take a child and to help them see who they really are, to help them recognize who they are. And that work happens in the classroom. It happens from us supporting the work that's happening in the classroom. And so when you start and you leave with that level of passion and people really know that you're serious about this work, we move quickly, we move swiftly but we do it because our children cannot stand for us to wait.

Q: There's been a lot of burnout during the pandemic. How do you make sure your staff knows they are appreciated?

A: The first thing that's important to me is by saying it, right? By saying that you are appreciated. By listening to them with the areas that they have identified as things that have caused them to feel undervalued or underappreciated, and really working on those areas. You can't do everything at one time, but a lot of times I lead with asking the question: 'If there was one thing that we could change right now that would make tomorrow better for you, what would that be?'

And when we ask those questions, you would be surprised that it's not generally some of the things that you would expect to hear. It's not always an increase in salary, even though everyone wants an increase in salary at some point. But sometimes it's just (for) someone to say "thank you." For someone to walk by them in the morning and say, 'how are you?' For someone to check in on what's going on with your kids. And so really bringing in the personal part, the relationship piece that's really valuable and is sometimes underestimated.

Q: Do you think it's the school's responsibility to intervene on issues of childhood trauma, like gun safety and mental health crises?

A: It is the school's responsibility to serve the whole child. And so anything that impacts a child, it is a part of our responsibility to help serve that. The caveat to that, though, is also understanding that we can't do it alone. So that's why we have to engage those around us to make sure that we are all aligned with that vision, that expectation, and it becomes more than just a hope. Because a dream without a plan is just a wish.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Meet new Cincinnati Public Schools' superintendent Iranetta Wright