Winfred Roberson Jr. was unanimously voted new superintendent of economically and culturally diverse Glendale USD in California, where he will oversee 33 schools and more than 25,000 students.
Roberson had been superintendent of Davis Joint USD for the past six years, a district where 69 percent of the students who took the English portion of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress met or exceeded the standard, while 64 percent met or exceeded the math standard.
Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser recently announced a plan for 10 District of Columbia Public Schools to adopt an extended-year calendar starting in the 2016-17 school year. In conjunction with Chancellor Kaya Henderson, Bowser said the plan is part of an effort to close the achievement gap.
“By extending the school year in these 10 schools, we will offer students the equivalent of an extra year of learning by the time they reach the eighth grade” she stated. The new 200-day calendar will include additional time for students who need extra support as well as breaks in October and June.
Art McCoy takes over July 1 as superintendent of Jennings School District in Missouri, returning to lead the district in which he spent the majority of his childhood.
McCoy joined the district in March as a deputy superintendent to aid the transition; for the previous two years he was at the Mind Research Institute, an organization dedicated to improving math education, serving as chief academic officer and superintendent in residence.
He also was a consultant in developing principal training programs for the College of Education at the University of Missouri-St.Louis, and has been superintendent of Ferguson-Florissant School District.
Raquel Reedy, interim superintendent of Albuquerque Public Schools, initiated the “Superintendent’s Listening Tour” an outreach program in which she has dinner with the families of students to get feedback in a comfortable setting.
Starting in January, Reedy began visiting the home of seven families—one from each school board member’s area—to discuss what the district can do better for its students. The visits are private, but the plan is to share the findings within the district and with community members.
Thomas S. Tucker was named 2016 AASA National Superintendent of the Year at the organization’s National Conference on Education in February.
Tucker, of Princeton City Schools in Cincinnati, has worked in Kansas and Ohio public schools for 26 years, having served as a classroom teacher, assistant principal, principal, director of secondary curriculum and superintendent. He was honored for his leadership, communication, professionalism, community involvement and commitment to education.
Tracy Weeks is the new executive director of the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA). With more than 20 years in education—including 15 in educational technology—Weeks had previously been the chief academic and digital learning officer for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.
She was integral to developing the state’s digital learning plan. She has also served as chief academic officer and executive director for the North Carolina Virtual Public School.
