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City Connect Detroit: Bio
Connie K. Calloway, Ph. D.
General Superintendent
Detroit Public Schools
Dr. Connie Kennedy Calloway became superintendent of the Detroit Public Schools on July 2, 2007. She stated, “I will carefully handle all resources you trust me with for the benefit of the children of Detroit”. The Detroit schools serve over 116,000 students from preschool through high school, and employs over 15,900 staff members.
Dr. Calloway exemplifies her family’s belief in the benefits of a good education and the role of faith in ordering one’s footsteps. She earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education from Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, NY, a Master of Arts in Teaching degree from Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership, Curriculum and Instruction from Ohio University in Athens, OH. Her varied church work includes serving as adult Sunday school teacher and president of the credit union.
Prior to accepting the call to come to Detroit, Dr. Calloway was superintendent of Normandy School District in Normandy, Missouri. Under Calloway’s leadership, the district achieved provisional accreditation based on the increase in student test scores and attendance, and a decrease in the discipline and dropout rates. During her tenure, she implemented a Superintendent’s luncheon to honor students with outstanding academic achievement, initiated the establishment of The Normandy Education Foundation to provide scholarships to students and financial awards to staff, introduced a systematic approach to analyzing and using data to guide student learning and rallied 70% of the community to pass a $17 million bond issue to renovate the 82 year old high school and to upgrade other school facilities.
Dr. Calloway has also served as superintendent of Trotwood-Madison City School District in Trotwood, Ohio. Through her leadership, the district moved from “academic emergency” advancing to third in high stakes test gains in the county—out performing wealthier and larger districts.
Born in Alabama, reared in Ohio, Dr. Calloway has worked as an educator for more than 30 years. She has taught in a wide variety of national public school districts, including Boston, Massachusetts and Cleveland, Ohio. Internationally, she attended the University of Ghana and taught in Accra, Ghana, West Africa. Dr. Calloway lived in Germany and taught Adult Education for Central Texas College military programs in West Germany. She also served as a faculty member at Cleveland State University, Ashland University and John Carroll University. She was awarded Associate Professor status at the University of Missouri St. Louis in 2007. She was invited to present a research paper at a prestigious educational conference in Oxford University in Oxford, England in 2002. In addition to her teaching career, Dr. Calloway has served children as a reading specialist, school principal, executive director of curriculum and charter school administrator.
Among Dr. Calloway’s professional and community affiliations are memberships in the American Association of School Administrators, National Alliance of Black School Educators, Phi Delta Kappa Honor Society, Kappa Delta Pi Honor Society, Sue Shear Institute for Women in Public Life at the University of Missouri, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and lifetime membership in the NAACP.
Dr. Calloway has received numerous awards and recognitions. In 2007, she was recognized for her work with the Normandy Foundation by having a yearly scholarship named in her honor. In 2006, she was recognized by the Normandy School District Parent/Teacher Association as its Teacher of the Year. In 2003 she was honored with the Top Ten Influential Women of the Year Award, the Educational Leader Award in the 2003 Success Guide, and the 2002 Congressional Medal Recipient for National Educational Leader of the Year. She was honored as a Crain’s Business Woman of the Year in 2007 and has been listed in the Who’s Who in American Education for several years.
Dr. Calloway is the proud mother of Precious Naomi Calloway.
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