Carol R. Johnson

Dr. Carol R. Johnson has been Superintendent of the Boston Public Schools (BPS) since August 2007, having been appointed by a unanimous vote of the Boston School Committee in June 2007 after a national search. As Superintendent of the 56,000-student district in the capital city of Massachusetts, she also serves a cabinet member for Mayor Thomas M. Menino. Under her leadership, the district has focused on closing achievement and access gaps as well as graduating all students prepared for college and career success. Boston Public Schools currently has its lowest dropout rate in over two decades and BPS students most recently outperformed their urban peers in math on National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The Superintendent’s strong commitment to arts in education is evidenced through Boston’s multi-year Arts Expansion Initiative, which aims to provide weekly in-school arts experiences for every student in Grades K-8.

Dr. Johnson has a wealth of experience in public education as a teacher, principal, and district administrator. Prior to her appointment in Boston, Dr. Johnson was Superintendent in Memphis, TN and Minneapolis, MN. She also led the St. Louis Park, Minnesota school district located in suburban Minneapolis. She was named Minnesota Superintendent of the Year, recognized by the Tennessee Parent Teachers’ Association, received the Communicator of the Year Award from the Memphis Chapter, Public Relations Society of America, and received the National Alliance of Black School Educators Superintendent of the Year Award.

Nationally, Dr. Johnson serves on the Board of Directors for the Council of the Great City Schools, the Spencer Foundation Board, the Harvard University Urban Superintendents’ Advisory Board, and she has served on the College Board.

Dr. Johnson earned a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, and master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of Minnesota. She has also been awarded two honorary degrees from Lemoyne Owen College and Rhodes College, both in Memphis, Tennessee. She is married to history teacher Matthew Johnson, and they are parents of three children.