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• New Leader in Boston, p.3 • New Graduation Guide, p.5 LEGISLATIVE • Education Funding, p.10 The Nation’s Voice for Urban Education May 2019 Vol. 28, No. 4 www.cgcs.org Charleston School Named Best in Nation U.S. News & World Report has ranked Academic Magnet High School in Charleston, S.C., as the best high school in the country. The newsmagazine recently released its 2019 edition of the top-performing high schools after evaluating more than 17,000 public high schools in 50 states and the District of Co- lumbia. Schools were ranked on six factors based U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos listens as 2019 Teacher of the Year Rodney Robinson on their perfor- accepts his award at a White House ceremony. Photo credit: Ronald M. Sachs mance on state assessments and how well they prepare students for college. Richmond Veteran Educator In addition to Academic Magnet, five urban schools in districts represented by the Council of the Great City Schools Named National Teacher of the Year ranked in the top 20. They were: Rodney Robinson teaches at a school housed in a jail in Richmond, Va., because he Payton College Preparatory High School believes that all students — even those students who have made mistakes in their lives in Chicago, ranked No. 9; — deserve a high-quality education. The veteran teacher’s efforts to educate all children and his work to defeat the school- Townsend Harris High School in New to-prison pipeline contributed to his recent selection as the 2019 National Teacher of York City, ranked No. 11; the Year. Robinson was chosen for the honor from among 57 state teachers of the year. The selection of the nation’s best teacher began in 1952 as an effort by the Council Science and Engineering Magnet School of Chief State School Officers, which administers the program, to identify exceptional in Dallas, ranked No. 12; teachers nationwide, celebrate their effective work in and outside of the classroom, am- plify their voices and empower them to participate in policy discussions at the state and The School for the Talented and Gifted national levels. in Dallas, ranked No. 16; and A veteran educator with 19 years of classroom experience, Robinson said he was inspired to become a teacher by his mother, whose upbringing in poverty and segrega- DeBakey High School for Health tion in rural Virginia made her own desire to teach an impossible dream. Following Professions in Houston, ranked No. 17. Richmond Educator continued on page 4 Nation’s Best continued on page 5 INSIDE THE COUNCIL MAY 2019 Chicago Students Receive Scholarships to Become Teachers Christopher Goins is the principal of Butler College Prep in Chicago and would like more men of color to follow in his footsteps and become teachers. But he believes that programs to recruit men of color into the classroom when they are in college are too late. As a result, he created a class called “Intro to Urban Education” designed to introduce high school students of color to a career in education. His efforts have paid off, as five -stu dents who participated in the class re- cently were surprised with full-tuition scholarships to study education at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). The students received the news that they were the recipients of college scholar- ships in front of their peers at the school’s “Draft Day” event. A student at Chicago’s Butler Prep reacts to receiving a full-tuition scholarship to attend the The scholarships were awarded to stu- University of Ilinois at Chicago (UIC) as, third to right, UIC Dean Alfred Tatum and Butler Prin- cipal Christopher Goins look on. dents as part of UIC’s College of Edu- cation MiSTER (Mentors Instructing Students Toward Effective Role Models) enable the recipients to return to their your impact, ” said Tatum in a story that program, which aims to recruit and train communities and serve as educators. appeared on the Chicago Public Schools’ male education majors of color. “Becoming an educator is one way to website. UIC College of Education’s Dean Al- ensure you’ll live forever because gen- The scholarships will provide students fred Tatum hopes the scholarships will erations after generation will talk about with tuition assistance, an academic and Teacher Scholarships continued on page 3 Executive Director Editor Staff Writer Michael Casserly Tonya Harris Joanne Coley [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] A newsletter published by the Council of the Great City Schools, representing 75 of the nation’s largest urban public school districts. Council officers Chair Albuquerque Charlotte Fresno Milwaukee Pinellas Co. Shelby Co. Lawrence Feldman Anchorage Chicago Greensboro Minneapolis Pittsburgh St. Louis Board Member, Miami-Dade County Arlington, TX Cincinnati Hawaii Nashville Portland St. Paul Chair-elect Atlanta Clark Co. Houston New Orleans Providence Stockton Eric Gordon Aurora Cleveland Indianapolis New York City Puerto Rico Tampa CEO, Cleveland Austin Columbus Jackson Newark Richmond Toledo Baltimore Dallas Jacksonville Norfolk Rochester Toronto Secretary-Treasurer Birmingham Dayton Kansas City Oakland Sacramento Tulsa Michael O’Neill Boston Denver Long Beach Oklahoma City San Antonio Washington DC Board Member, Boston Bridgeport Des Moines Los Angeles Omaha San Diego Wichita Broward Co. Detroit Louisville Orange Co. San Francisco Buffalo El Paso Manchester Palm Beach Santa Ana Charleston Fort Worth Miami-Dade Philadelphia Seattle All news items should be submitted to: Find the Council on: Urban Educator Council of the Great City Schools 1331 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Suite 1100N • Washington, DC 20004 (202) 393-2427 • (202) 393-2400 (fax) 2 | URBAN EDUCATOR URBAN EDUCATOR | 3 MAY 2019 INSIDE THE COUNCIL Memphis and Boston School Districts Name New Superintendents After embark- eas, including the district’s enrollment and superintendent in ing on a national school choice processes, summer learning Minneapolis Pub- search to find a su- academy, and family and community en- lic Schools. perintendent, Shel- gagement. “We are ex- by County Schools In a news statement Ray said he was cited to begin in Memphis decid- incredibly honored by the opportunity to working soon ed they already had lead the school system. “I will continue to with Cassellius, someone more than fight every single day to improve the lives whose wealth of capable of leading of our students, no matter which neighbor- experience, com- Joris Ray the 100,000-stu- hood they call home,” said Ray. Brenda Cassellius mitment to equity, dent school system. and proven track re- So, the school board ended the search New Leader in Boston cord as an education leader will be critical and named interim leader Joris Ray the in continuing our progress in the Boston district’s superintendent. Boston Public Schools recently named Public Schools,” said Boston School Com- Ray has served as interim since January, Brenda Cassellius to take the reins of the mittee Chairperson Michael Loconto. succeeding Dorsey Hopson, who resigned 55,000-student school district. Cassel- from the district after nearly six years. lius, who most recently stepped down as Interim in Nashville A graduate of Shelby County Schools, commissioner of education for the state of Ray has held a variety of positions in the Minnesota, will succeed interim superin- Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools school system during his 22-year ca- tendent Laura Perille. recently named veteran educator Adrienne reer, including teacher, assistant principal Prior to serving as commissioner, Cas- Battle as interim director of schools. and director of alternative schools. sellius was the superintendent of the East Battle succeeds Shawn Joseph, who re- In his previous role as the district’s chief Metro Integration District in Minnesota, cently stepped down after leading the dis- of academic operations and school support, where she led an integration and achieve- trict since 2016. Ray directed more than 10 specialized ar- ment agenda. She also served as an associate A graduate of the school system, Battle has held a variety of roles in the district, including as community superintendent. Teacher Scholarships continued from page 2 cultural support system and assistance with educational needs. Goins said the class St. Louis School Board job placement after they graduate. was developed to create awareness with the Students had to apply for the scholar- hopes of empowering the students to pur- To Regain Governance ship by submitting two essays. sue a career in education so they can make Staff Writer Goins has a degree in history/secondary an impact. Joanne Coley education from North Carolina Agricul- According to the Illinois State Board of In 2007, Missouri’s State Board of Edu- [email protected] tural and Technical State and has led But- Education, African-American men repre- cation voted to strip the Saint Louis Public ler since it opened in 2013. His desire to sent just one percent of teachers in Illinois’ Schools of its accreditation, a three-mem- create the “Intro to Urban Education” class public schools. ber panel was appointed to oversee the was formed and developed during his time Trevon participated in Goins’ class and school district, and its elected school board as a Chicago Surge Fellow, a fellowship was one of the students who received a col- lost control. that works closely with Chicago teachers. lege scholarship to UIC. He said that after After 12 years, the state board recently “It was my capstone project,” said Goins. graduating from college he wants to return voted unanimously to restore power to the “I’m incredibly passionate about increasing to his community and become a third or district’s school board. the number of men of color in the class- fifth-grade teacher. And with the help of Since being taken over by the state, room.” the scholarship, he hopes to make a lasting the Saint Louis school system has made During his class of about 20 seniors, impact.

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