This Month's PROFILE
Meet Seattle Public Schools chief Maria Goodloe-Johnson.
Maria Goodloe-Johnson
AGE: 50
NICKNAME: Dr. Maria
ON THE JOB: Since July 2007
EDUCATION: Ph.D. in Philosophy, University of Colorado at Denver, 1996; master’s, University of Northern Colorado; bachelor’s, University of Nebraska at Lincoln
FAMILY: Married with one daughter, “but professionally I have 45,000 kids”
EXPERIENCE: Superintendent of Charleston (SC) County School District; assistant superintendent of Corpus Christi (TX) Independent School District
ANNUAL SALARY: $264,000
INSPIRATION: Her mother, an elementary school teacher, "always expected perfection and excellence."
PRAISE: "Maria brought brutal realities to light," says the Charleston school board president. Her management style: "I tell people all the time, 'Don’t allow others to disrespect you and tell you what you can’t have.' That’s plantation mentality.
GUIDING BELIEF: "Know what your target is, and go for it every single day.
RECENT CHALLENGE: An outside review called Seattle’s bilingual programs "ad hoc, incoherent, and directionless."
Dr. Maria’s response? "I sensed we had a lot of work to do," and she’s ready to do it.
GOAL: To close the achievement gap in science and math in five years
APPROACH: "I'm holding myself accountable because I’m holding everyone else accountable."
