Successful or struggling, urban, suburban and rural, University of Delaware alumnus Emmanuel (Manny) Caulk has worked in every type of educational setting.

Since obtaining degrees in elementary teacher education and master’s in instruction from UD, Caulk has held a wide range of positions, and set an impressive number of firsts. He has served as:The first principal of color at Penn Manor School District in Lancaster, Pennsylvania;

• Newark High School principal, where he initiated the Cambridge program, a rigorous international curriculum for academically advanced students;
• Assistant superintendent in East Baton Rouge Parish School System in Louisiana, where he implemented an improvement plan for Istrouma High School that became the only school in the district to be removed from the state’s takeover list; and
• The first African American superintendent in Maine, leading the state’s largest school district.

And as of Aug. 3, Caulk is the first African American superintendent of Fayette County Public Schools in Kentucky.

“Education is my passion. I love going into a school, talking to the teachers, parents, community — finding out where their priorities lie, what their concerns are, where would they like to grow and what are the points of pride — then, by working collaboratively together, setting them on a path for success,” said Caulk.

For more on Caulk and his work, please see the UDaily article here.

Article by Alison Burris

Photo by Kathy F. Atkinson