Carole Smith's Biography

Carole Smith has served as superintendent of Portland Public Schools since October 2007. PPS, with more than 47,000 students, is the largest school district in the Pacific Northwest.

As superintendent, Smith has led efforts to support more effective teaching in PPS classrooms, improve educational equity for students and build stronger partnerships with higher education, community organizations, and other public and private partners.

During her tenure, PPS schools have produced significant gains in student achievement, including gains in early literacy, middle grade math and reading, and the number of students who are on track to graduate in high school. Schools have also narrowed the achievement gap in these key learning measures. In addition, PPS’ graduation rate has also increased.

Superintendent Smith brings more than 30 years of experience in education, including a 25-year relationship with Portland Public Schools. From 1982 to 2005, she was executive director of Open Meadow Schools in Portland, an accredited, nonprofit education program for middle and high school students that is affiliated with PPS. Under her leadership, the organization grew to become a national model for alternative education serving both struggling and gifted students who haven’t thrived in traditional settings.

In 2005, Superintendent Smith was recruited to Portland Public Schools to lead the Office of Educational Options, then assumed interim leadership of the Office of Student, Family and School Support. She was promoted to chief of staff for Superintendent Vicki Phillips in 2006 and was selected by the Portland School Board to replace Phillips upon her departure.

In addition to her longtime work on behalf of Portland’s students, Superintendent Smith is a product herself of local schools. She attended elementary, junior high and high school in the Portland metropolitan area.