Meria Carstarphen

USP Cohort 9, Executive Director for Comprehensive School Improvement and Accountability, Kingsport (TN) City Schools

"For six months, I served as the intern to the superintendent of the Columbus Public Schools, Rosa A. Smith. This internship gave me the opportunity to improve myself and to develop the leadership skills required to enhance the district's ability to improve education for all children. In addition to learning by doing and observing, I had the privilege of learning from the superintendent's candid reflections on her responsibility and work as the district's lead educator. As an aspiring superintendent, I believe it is important that education leaders of today possess greater knowledge and skills than ever before. Managing a quality public school system and improving public education require that today's education leaders be extraordinary learners. It is no longer sufficient to only care about children; we also need to be committed to taking effective action to improve ourselves so that in turn we constantly can improve education, and ultimately, student outcomes. Under the mentorship of Dr. Smith, I feel confident that I have increased my knowledge, honed my skills, and learned the personal and professional 'ins and outs' of the superintendency."