ASCD Faculty Bio

Deborah Wortham

Wortham is currently the superintendent of the School District of the City of York, Pa. She was formerly the assistant superintendent for high schools and director of professional development for Baltimore City Public Schools. 

In her career, she also served as principal and assistant principal at the elementary, middle and high school levels; program facilitator; and master teacher. She has received numerous honors and awards including teacher of the year and principal of America’s Best Elementary School for Significant Improvement. Additionally, Wortham has written or contributed to several publications.

Wortham received a bachelor's degree in elementary education from the University of Wisconsin, a master’s degree in reading from Morgan State University, and a doctorate in educational leadership from Nova Southeastern University. She has been a keynote speaker and presented workshops on instructional leadership in urban schools, continuous improvement, effective professional development, and building learning communities at conferences and workshops throughout the United States.