Dr. Keisha Scarlett, the new superintendent of the St. Louis Public School System (SLPS), is not only an intelligent, commanding and statuesque figure (she’s six feet tall), she’s also fun to listen to.
The Seattle native has a unique, literary lexicon filled with poetic and colorful phrases. For example, when describing St. Louis’ historic architecture, she speaks of a city “with “beautiful bones even though some are broken.” She’s only been in town about a month but finds St. Louisans to be cordial, nice and welcoming. The city, she said, has a “nice little scoop of the south” in it.
Scarlett began her career in public education 24 years ago as a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) teacher and remains a strong advocate of STEAM (arts added) education. Her definition, however, is intertwined with what she calls “educational justice” and “identity-building.”
Scarlett was the chief academic officer and assistant superintendent of academics for Seattle Public Schools (SPS),before being chosen (out of 49 applicants) to replace former SLPS superintendent Kelvin Adams, who retired last year.
A product of Seattle public schools, Scarlett has served in a variety of educational roles, including human resource director, teacher and principal. Among her many accomplishments, she implemented a plan to increase early literacy among African American boys and other marginalized students. What she labeled as a “conspiracy of care,” the program focused on supporting the mind, body and spirit of the students.
Her beliefs are grounded in her roots. She’s the youngest of three children. Her parents are pastors in Seattle. Her mother was a special education teacher and counselor as well as a gospel recording artist. Her father, she said, had “all kinds of jobs,” but was best known as a barber and cosmetologist in Seattle.
As a student, Scarlett excelled in math. Although it wasn’t labeled “STEAM” at the time, her parents made sure she was just as accomplished academically as she was socially.
“My parents made me feel very proud of myself as a young Black girl and then I also had the academic identity to undergird that,” she explained, adding: “So there were no barriers that were presented that I wasn’t able to navigate.”
She credits her creative linguistics to her upbringing as a “PK” (pastor’s kid) and her mother’s educational influence which she also described creatively.
“My mother is a full-contact lover of people. For her, education was an extension of mothering. I saw her show the same love and concern toward children who weren’t her biological children as her own.”
It’s been mentioned in several interviews that the educator is an avid Tupac Shakur fan. It’s true, she said, reminiscing about the time she jumped on stage when the rapper performed at her college, Clark Atlanta University, in 1993. Prince, she added with a shy chuckle, is also one of her favorites.
Scarlett speaks specifically about having “culturally responsive educators” with “love-eyes” in public schools.
“You can’t be who you don’t see,” she explained. “Our young people need to see people who look like them, who have all kinds of different interests…they need exposure to them so they can have bigger access to whatever opportunities they want.”
She defines public education as a network of teachers, parents and community working together to offer a “compulsory environment” for kids. Public schools, she emphasized, are intended to be “the families” that many children-especially marginalized children of color-may not.
“It should be compulsory,” Scarlett explained. “Children should come into environments where people love them, where they are seen and valued and have unlimited opportunities with people who look at them with love-eyes, who focus on their capabilities without putting constraints on them.”.
She’s a “warm demander,” Scarlett said in describing her leadership style. It means she works to get parents, adults and teachers engaged then gently demands that they show up and do the necessary work to help students achieve.
“It’s about collective impact. It’s for all of us to participate in the solution…families, communities, businesses, stakeholders. It’s a team effort for us to move the needle forward and ensure students have unlimited educational opportunities.”
When asked about the challenges SLPS faces, Scarlett said they are the same that urban school districts face across the nation, which includes student post-pandemic achievement, school safety, overall decline in enrollment and people’s perceptions of school quality.
The October 2022 shooting at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School put St. Louis on Scarlett’s radar. She was glued to her TV after a 19-year-old former student killed a teacher and a 15-year-old student at the school. She said she was impressed with how SLPS staff, the superintendent, the school board, parents and students responded to the tragedy.
“I was there in that scenario, I felt it. But little did I know two weeks later, Seattle would have its own shooting,” Scarlett said referring to the November 2022 incident where a 17-year-old student shot and killed a14-year-old inside Seattle’s Ingraham High.
“We’re all vulnerable,” she added. “There are all kinds of ways for us to be violated, be it at a school or the mall, but I still maintain that schools are the safest places for our kids.”
She believes the passage of Proposition S last year will go a long way in mitigating the potential for violence in public schools.
“A big part of the funding will go toward safety and security. We can put in more camaras, locks, scanners, hire safety officers and those types of things.
“I’m proud of our team,” Scarlett continued, “they are very focused on never having that experience again. It’s important that our staff and our students be safe.”
Scarlett credits her predecessor, Dr. Adams, for leaving her with an improved and better-functioning school district. When asked about her goals and ambitions, she provided a spiritual, philosophical and even geographical response.
“I have a strong faith in God’s plan and purpose. I believe I was sent here as part of a divine plan and I’m unapologetic about that.
“This is the Gateway City, right? It was a portal to the west. I believe we are poised for a rebirth and renaissance to move forward as one of the greatest cities in the country,” Scarlett said. “There are a lot of opportunities here, we just have to make sure kids who’ve been most marginalized and most disenfranchised have access to opportunities.”