Jorea Marple has been named West Virginia’s new superintendent of schools and will become the first woman in the the state’s history to hold that position.
Marple, who currently serves a deputy state superintendent of schools, is also a former teacher, principal and school superintendent. She’s worked as reading specialist and has published materials on school leadership, according to her bio.
She has helped create West Virginia’s “21st Century skills” program, which was pushed along by former superintendent Steve Paine, who announced last year that he was resigning. The 21st Century skills movement places an emphasis on problem-solving, “real world” creative thinking, and communication skills. It has drawn praise in some quarters, criticism in others, as my colleague Steve Sawchuk has reported.
Photo: West Virginia Department of Education