Lewis Ferebee now leads District of Columbia Public Schools in Washington. Ferebee had been superintendent of Indianapolis Public Schools, where he oversaw Hispanic and black graduation rates surpass the district average—with the latter breaking the state average. Overall, graduation increased by 15 percent. Ferebee also enabled schools to meet student needs more effectively, and improved the transparency and equity of distributed resources through a student-based budgeting process he designed.
Read: Movers and Shakers: After passage of a building bond issue in Illinois, superintendent moves to new district
Principal Kerry Newman has made bullying prevention a major part of the culture at Kirn Middle School in Iowa. The number of students saying they will stop or report bullying increased from 36 percent to 95 percent in three years. Nearly every student also says they have an adult to go to when bullying occurs. Newman, who has also overhauled teaching practices to promote critical thinking and student ownership of learning, was named Middle Level Principal of the Year by the School Administrators of Iowa.
