Are you curious about the state of the Salem public school system? Led by Superintendent Stephen Zrike, the system serves a diverse student body of over 3800 students from pre-Kindergarten through high school. As in most public school systems, the challenges are abundant. Thirty-three percent of students do not speak English as their first language. Sixty-two percent are considered low income. Some are unhoused.
Join Superintendent Zrike to learn about how Salem is meeting these challenges as they support and prepare our students for life throughout and beyond their school years.
Dr. Stephen Zrike came to Salem from Holyoke Public Schools where he served as Receiver/Superintendent. He previously served as the Superintendent of Schools in Wakefield, Massachusetts and Chief of Elementary Schools for the Pilsen-Little Village Network in the Chicago Public Schools. He was responsible for leading the instructional improvement efforts for 26 schools and approximately 18,000 students.
In addition to his experience in Chicago, Dr. Zrike also served the Boston Public Schools as the turnaround principal of the William Blackstone Elementary School, an inquiry facilitator and leadership coach for four Boston schools, and as principal of both the William Ohrenberger Elementary School and John Philbrick Elementary School. Dr. Zrike’s teaching career began in Massachusetts’ Andover Public School District, as a fifth-grade teacher. He received his doctorate from the Urban Superintendents’ Program and his Master’s Degrees in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Dr. Zrike also holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Dartmouth College.