Matthew Utterback, the superintendent of the North Clackamas district in Oregon, was named last week as the 2017 National Superintendent of the Year.
The AASA, the School Superintendents Association, which gives out the annual award, noted the strides that the district in Milwaukie, Ore., has made in closing achievement gaps under Utterback’s leadership. Its four-year graduation rate rose from 66 percent to 83 percent in the past four years, with significant increases for subgroups, including students with disabilities, black students, and Hispanic students, the AASA said.
Utterback started his education career as a teacher in the district in 1989 and has been superintendent since 2012.