Dr. Keisha Scarlett is a nationally recognized education leader and former Superintendent of Saint Louis Public Schools. With over a decade of experience, Dr. Scarlett is committed to advancing equity and creating barrier-free opportunities for historically marginalized students. She previously served as Chief Academic Officer and Chief of Equity, Partnerships, and Engagement for Seattle Public Schools, where she led transformative equity initiatives. In her first year as Superintendent, Dr. Scarlett launched “Literacy for the Lou,” the largest citywide literacy initiative in St. Louis history, and secured historic pay increases for district educators. Her leadership focuses on PK-12 systems change, stakeholder engagement, and movement building to create equitable educational environments. Dr. Scarlett’s career spans roles in STEM at The Boeing Company, middle school teaching, school leadership, and central office positions in Seattle. She is a passionate advocate for unlocking students’ potential, especially those furthest from educational justice. Named Washington State Middle-Level Principal of the Year in 2014, she continues to be a thought leader in education reform, social justice, and leadership development. Dr. Scarlett is also the founder of WOVƎN, an organization dedicated to empowering women in education, entrepreneurship, and leadership.
Literacy as a Moral Imperative
Literacy is the gateway to understanding the world, engaging in democracy, and accessing opportunity. It is one of the defining civil rights issues of our time. Currently, 21% of U.S. adults are illiterate or functionally illiterate, and 54% read below a sixth-grade level. These statistics contribute to higher poverty and unemployment rates.
As a K-12 educator and superintendent for over 25 years, I have been committed to leading for equitable outcomes, especially for students furthest from opportunity. I mobilize people, resources, and ideas to drive lasting change. With each role, I ask: How can I use my leadership to advance educational equity?
Movements often arise during moments of systemic failures or significant social shifts. Literacy as a civil rights issue demands urgent action. The citywide literacy initiative we recently launched reflects my leadership as superintendent and movement-builder, serving as a catalyst, connector, and nurturer of a bold vision for literacy. I utilize the Moment, Momentum, Movement Framework to ignite moments, gain momentum, and spark meaningful change through four key levers: vision-building (storytelling), relationship-building (coalitions), capacity-building (gentle pressure relentlessly applied), and momentum-building (catch fire).
Vision Building (Storytelling)
One of my first major events as superintendent was an educational expo where thousands of families lined up hours before the ribbon-cutting. The expo offered school supplies, resources, and holistic services. Families braved the midwest’s hot August weather, demonstrating their unwavering commitment to their children’s education. Their conversations, smiles, and overall dedication inspired me deeply.
A few weeks later, during a lunch meeting, a restaurant hostess remarked that the parents in the city didn’t care enough about their children’s education. Drawing from my experience at the expo, I respectfully disagreed, emphasizing the sacrifices families make for their children’s success. In that moment, I shared a story of hope, challenging deficit-based narratives often placed on predominantly African American communities.
Throughout the year, my team and I continued to leverage storytelling to champion a message of community strength and hope, reshaping perceptions and rallying stakeholders around our shared vision: You can get anywhere from here.
Relationship Building (Coalitions)
On November 1, 2023, as part of my 100-day report to the community, I announced our district’s focus on literacy as the flagship initiative of my Superintendent Portfolio. Our vision of hope sparked a citywide literacy movement. To make it a reality, we built strong coalitions with students, families, community organizations, city officials, and business leaders. Internally, we formed a cross-departmental team to guide this multifaceted initiative, forging new relationships and leveraging existing partnerships.
At the launch event in January 2024, we anticipated 2,000 attendees but were met with 4,000. Together with local businesses and city leadership, we celebrated our community’s love for literacy and emphasized families as essential partners in cultivating lifelong readers and critical thinkers. These efforts affirmed that families are deeply invested in their children’s education and ready to collaborate with schools to ensure success. As Derrick Bell once said, “In many ways, we are our relationships.”
Capacity Building (Gentle Pressure, Relentlessly Applied)
As we developed our literacy initiative, my leadership team and I faced challenges—resistance to change and limited resources. I asked 30 leaders to share examples of successful initiatives. While a few highlighted literacy-related projects, there was no unified theory of action to guide our student outcomes. It was revealed that initiatives previously failed due to a lack of organizational structure, executive sponsorship, and collaboration. I shared my vision for literacy and our imperative to make this initiative “best in class,” with plans to scale it across the district.
The concept of “gentle pressure, relentlessly applied,” introduced to me over 15 years ago, has guided my efforts to build capacity for change. Movement-building requires internal alignment, not just broader participation. Effective capacity-building fosters leadership, strengthens infrastructure, and sustains innovation.
We aligned project management and stakeholder engagement with expert support and applied pressure through public learning and accountability. The senior leaders set “wildly important goals” aligned to literacy across multiple divisions and used collaborative teams, accountability structures, and progress dashboards to shift mindsets.
This relentless focus helped replace outdated approaches with a forward-looking vision for student success and equity.
Momentum Building (Catch Fire/Catcha Fyah)
My husband, a native of Jamaica, often says, “Ole fyah stick easy fi ketch” (old fire sticks catch easily). We embraced this concept to build momentum for our literacy initiative by leveraging partnerships and celebrating small wins to create systemic change. Our Director of Strategic Partnerships collaborated with community organizations and local businesses to secure sponsorships. We partnered with local bookstores to ensure district resources flowed back into our communities.
Several projects fueled the initiative’s momentum. During a citywide celebration on March 14th, 3-1-4 Day/Pi Day, we launched the Reading Passport Challenge, encouraging students to read 314 minutes over two weeks. Students who met the challenge earned rewards like pizza parties and certificates. On June 1st, our Sneaker Ball capped off the initiative with over 2,000 participants, honoring students who read 1,838 minutes, representing the district’s founding year. Each successful event built greater collective participation, and we made sure to celebrate each milestone along the way.
Literacy as a Movement
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed deep inequities in education, amplifying the literacy crisis at a national level. The described initiative is one district’s response—a movement for equity and justice that invited students, families, and the broader community to engage in the education of our children. By building on moments of energy and commitment, we ignited a citywide movement.
Movement-building is critical to advancing equity in education. Sustainable, transformative change is possible when leaders act with vision, persistence, accountability, and celebration. As Nancy Duarte and Patti Sanchez write in Illuminate, “Leaders patrol the border between now and what’s next, lighting the way to a better future.”
I urge every leader to reflect on how they can contribute to movement-building that advances equity, reveals student talent and unleashes the boundless power of coalitions guided by a common vision. By organizing people, resources, and ideas, we can drive collective action that creates sustainable educational, social, and political change.