Meria Carstarphen, who led Atlanta Public Schools for six years, has a new role with a major consulting firm.
Gallup, Inc. announced Wednesday that the former APS superintendent is joining the company’s ranks as a senior scientist. She is on team of experts “who advise and consult with Gallup researchers and select clients.”
Carstarphen shared the news on Twitter, saying she’s “excited and honored to join this extraordinary senior scientist team.” As the first member to focus on education issues, she wrote that she will help leaders and organizations “solve their most pressing problems in this sector.”
Gallop said Carstarphen’s start date was March 1.
“We are excited to have Dr. Carstarphen with her focus on education join our distinguished ranks of world-renowned researchers and thought leaders, including two Nobel Laureates, as they lend their expertise to topics that include literally every big issue facing humankind,” said Jim Clifton, chairman and CEO of Gallup, in a written statement.
Carstarphen was hired in 2014 to lead APS in the wake of a district-wide test-cheating scandal. She previously led school systems in Austin, Texas, and Saint Paul, Minnesota.
In Atlanta, Carstarphen took the reins of a roughly 50,000-student district and launched a number of initiatives to turn around low-performing schools. She oversaw the closing and merging of some schools and the hiring of charter-network operators to run a half-dozen campuses.
Carstarphen also worked to increase teacher pay, created an independent APS police force and focused on social and emotional learning.
In 2019, the school board announced that a majority of its members did not support extending her contract. They cited various reasons, including a desire to change leadership as the district delved into a five-year strategic plan.
Carstarphen had been largely silent about her plans after leaving APS even as rumors swirled that she might consider a political run.
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