Maryland appoints new State Superintendent of Schools 

- ADVERTISEMENT -

Maryland State Board of Education, in a unanimous vote on May 27, 2021, appointed Mohammed Choudhury as the next Maryland State Superintendent of Schools. Choudhury, who is the child of Bangladeshi immigrants (Yahoo.com), will begin his term effective July 1, 2021.

He is currently the associate superintendent and chief strategy, talent and innovation officer for the San Antonio Independent School District, a press release from the Maryland State Department of Education said.

“When we set out on our search for Maryland’s next superintendent, our goal was to identify and hire the highest caliber candidate to build the future of education for all Maryland children. Considering Mr. Choudhury’s outstanding transformative accomplishments, we are completely confident that we have hired the right person, one who deeply cares about children,” Board President Clarence Crawford was quoted saying in the press release.

Choudhury will replace Dr. Karen B. Salmon who will retire on June 30 after an education career spanning more than 45 years, including five years leading the Maryland State Department of Education.

Committed to narrowing historical opportunity and achievement gaps and improving student achievement and outcomes, Choudhury is credited for helping to lead a transformation of San Antonio’s large school system, where 90% of students are economically-disadvantaged.

Before he arrived in San Antonio, the district had an F-rating. Today, it is the fastest-improving large district in all of Texas.

Choudhury believes even though Maryland is one of the top state for education there is always room for improvement.

“With the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future as a guide for MSDE and every district in the state, the state’s leaders have shown a remarkable commitment to the hard work that’s necessary to bridge gaps and ensure every student has the tools and supports needed to be successful. I am honored by the board’s selection and look forward to hitting the ground running as Maryland’s next State Superintendent of Schools.”

Prior to his appointment in San Antonio, Choudhury led transformation and innovation efforts for the Dallas Independent School District. He started his career as a classroom teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District where he partnered with non-profit organizations to provide students with additional support in middle school.

Beyond the classroom, Choudhury also has experience in program and policy development as a senior leader with the Future is Now Schools Network.

He is a member of the Chiefs for Change Future Chief program, a nationally-based leadership development program that prepares the next generation of state and district education leaders.

Choudhury completed his undergraduate work at California State University in Northridge and earned an M.Ed. from UCLA.