Carolyn Stanford Taylor is an American educator who served as the 28th Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction from 2019 to 2021. Stanford Taylor was the first African American to serve as Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction. Her appointment was announced by Wisconsin

Governor-elect An ''officer-elect'' is a person who has been elected to a position but has not yet been installed. Notably, a president who has been elected but not yet installed would be referred to as a ''president-elect'' (e.g. president-elect of the Unit ...

Tony Evers in December 2018, who served as

Superintendent of Public Instruction A state education agency or state department of education is the state-level government organization within each U.S. state or territory responsible for education, including providing information, resources, and technical assistance on educationa ...

prior to his election as Governor. She did not run for the seat in 2021. Prior to assuming the superintendent’s office, she served as the Assistant State Superintendent for the Wisconsin Division for Learning Support for 17 years.

Early life and education

Born and raised in Marks, Mississippi, Stanford Taylor and her siblings were one of the first African American families to integrate the schools. She attended the

University of Wisconsin, Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

where she received a bachelor's degree in elementary education in 1978 and a master's degree in educational leadership and policy analysis in 1979.

Career

Stanford Taylor served as a classroom teacher and principal in the Madison Metropolitan School District for twenty years, serving as principal of Marquette and Lincoln elementary schools and Wright Middle School. She was the first African-American president of the local teachers union. Prior to her appointment as State Superintendent, Stanford Taylor was the first female, African-American appointed to serve as an assistant state superintendent. She supervised the Special Education Team, one of the agency's largest teams; the Student Services/Prevention and Wellness Team, which focused on student safety, support, and engagement; and the residential schools for students who are blind and visually impaired in Janesville and students who are deaf and hard of hearing in Delavan.

Recognition

Stanford Taylor is the 2018 recipient Virginia Hart Special Recognition, an award bestowed by the

Wisconsin Department of Administration The Wisconsin Department of Administration (DOA) is an agency of the Wisconsin state government which provides a range of services and programs, from operations, technology, and logistical support for the state, to assistance programs for low-inco ...

, Division of Personnel Management, to female state employees "who are making a difference through their service to Wisconsin."

References

External links

at the

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, headquartered in Madison, is the state education and public library management agency in the state of Wisconsin.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stanford Taylor, Carolyn 21st-century American politicians African-American people in Wisconsin politics Educators from Wisconsin American women educators Living people People from Quitman County, Mississippi Politicians from Madison, Wisconsin Superintendents of Public Instruction of Wisconsin University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Education alumni Wisconsin Independents Women in Wisconsin politics Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American politicians