Since building makeshift blackboards and teaching neighborhood children in the backyard of his childhood home in Florida, Dr. Jermall Wright knew from an early age that teaching and education were his passion and calling. From 1997, when he began his professional career, through 2001, Wright served as a 5th grade and middle school social studies teacher in Jacksonville, FL. He transitioned to an administrative role as assistant principal with Alachua County Public Schools (Gainesville, FL) before establishing a ten-year track record as elementary and secondary school principals with The Potter’s House Christian Academy (Jacksonville, FL), Duval County Public Schools (Jacksonville, FL), and the District of Columbia Public Schools (Washington, D.C.).

Successfully establishing himself as an experienced turnaround school principal, Dr. Wright led two elementary schools out of turnaround status through strategic partnerships, community and parental engagement, data-driven instruction, student and adult culture, and a focus on early literacy. In 2013, he joined Denver Public Schools as an Instructional Superintendent responsible for leading the turnaround efforts of chronically underperforming elementary schools. By 2016, 75% of Denver’s turnaround schools under Dr. Wright’s leadership improved by at least two performance tiers, moving off the district’s intervention list.

In 2017, Dr. Wright joined the Birmingham (AL) City School District as the Chief Academic and Accountability Officer, where he led the school improvement process. Under his leadership, the system decreased the number of “F” rated schools from 22 to six and increased the number of schools rated “C” or above from six to 17. On April 11, 2019, the Mississippi State Board of Education appointed Dr. Wright as the Founding Superintendent of the Mississippi Achievement School District, serving Yazoo City and Humphreys County. In three years, graduation rates improved from 67% to 85% in Yazoo City and from 78% to 91% in Humphreys County. Additionally, state accreditation violations were cleared, restoring accreditation for both districts.  In 2023, the Mississippi Achievement School District will graduate the first group of students in the Mississippi Delta who will earn both their high school diploma and their Associate of Arts degree from Mississippi Delta Community College.  

In addition to his work as an accomplished school and central level educational leader, Dr. Wright is also an experienced college/university instructor, having served in teacher preparation programs at Florida State College at Jacksonville (FL) and Trinity University (Washington, D.C.); affiliate faculty of special education and educational leadership at Regis University (Denver, CO); and contributing faculty in Walden University’s Ed.D./Ph.D. program in early childhood.

Wright earned a Bachelor of Arts in Social Science Secondary Education and a Master of Education degree in Educational Leadership from the University of North Florida; a Specialist degree in Special Education from the University of Florida; and a Doctor of Education degree in Leadership for Educational Equity with a specialization in Early Childhood Special Education from the University of Colorado Denver. His research interests center on system transformation, issues of equity and leadership in high-performing/high-poverty schools, over-representation, and early intervention for young students of color with or at risk for behavioral-related disabilities.

Most importantly, Wright is the proud father of Jaydon Jermall, Trinity Jael, and Joshuwa Jermall.

(501) 447-1005
jermall.wright@lrsd.org
Twitter Handle:  @DrJermallWright